So... still liking Donald Trump as Republican Nominee?

[IBCoupe]

It wasn't just Trump. A number of Republicans were trying to get the Birther vote without looking like they were trying to get the Birther vote. Mitch McConnell's way was to say that he "took the President at his word," allowing him to cast some doubt on the matter by portraying the issue as a matter of whether you trust the President, while simultaneously being what reasonable independents wanted him to be: not a Birther.

By putting this out there (again), the President draws a line in the sand between birthers and reasonable independents, removing the Republican Party's ability to play both sides. Republican politicians are now forced to choose between alienating independents or alienating the portion of their base that's completely nuts.

And when Tom Tancredo comes out and says that Obama was hiding his birth certificate all along so that Republicans would look silly, it's clear that some won't be choosing to side with independents.

[stebo0728]

Well if the Repubes have half a brain, they'll focus on the independents. They couldn't possibly do anything to lose their base vote, so gaining the independent vote is the ticket. But they'll go on an abortion tirade, and complain about gay folks, and waste everyone's time, meanwhile lefty policies will continue to creep in.

[stebo0728]

Herman Cain will be participating in a debate, May 5th at 9PM, on Fox News. If I can get a link for the youtube afterwards, Ill post it. Check it out if you have the opportunity.

[IBCoupe]

With whom? Pat Buchanan?

Is he dead yet?

[stebo0728]

Heres an article describing it http://blogs.abcnews.com/thenote/2011/0 ... ebate.html

Looks like Tim Pawlenty, Ron Paul, Rick Santorum, and Gary Johnson will be debating along with Cain.

[IBCoupe]

I might check in on it for Pawlenty's performance.

[stebo0728]

Well, I have to see, I enjoyed the debate, except for the fact that is wasnt a debate. Just a series of answered questions, unevenly distributed. Gary Johnson even complained about it. I would have like to hear each candidate address each issue that was raised, but I guess theres still plenty of time left. I hoped they would breach the "no muslim" policy with Cain so he could have a chance to clarify or defend his position. He's still my top choice, but I have to say I did like Pawlenty's performance as well. Fact is I agreed with most of what they all said, which means they are either genuine or jockeying. Time will tell.

[IBCoupe]

I only caught a few moments. Caught the end of Johnson's answer to one question, and then watched Pawlenty's response on a question regarding unemployment, which he turned into a rant about the NLRB/Obama.

That made me turn off from him, not because he fell into the same whargarrbl that other reasonable conservatives tended to do on this issue (David Frum, Greg, Stebo, etc.), but because then he went and made it an entirely different issue. He wasn't slamming the NLRB for saying that something could be discriminatory that hadn't been before. He was saying this was government telling Boeing where they could and could not build their factories, when the fact of the matter is, they only did so because they lost - South Carolina gets one factory, and Seattle gets another. Instead of two.

But that's not to say that he didn't fall into that typical whargarrbl. He still failed to recognize that it was corporate stupidity at play, not an overreaching administrative agency. The NLRB followed the law that Congress passed to the letter - Boeing just has some executives that are unprecedented in their level of public idiocy.

Then I turned it off and started watching a Star Trek movie instead. Much better (which is saying something, 'cause it was Insurrection).

[HashiriyaS14]

In that case, he should have stood his ground.

Besides, the birthers weren't gonna vote for him anyway, so why the hell does he care what they think?

Stand up for something or GTFO.

Seems pretty clear to me that Obama released the long-form when he did to allow Trump to crow about it. I wouldn't be surprised if he releases his academic records "under pressure from Trump" for the same reason. Obama wants Trump or someone similar to be the Republican nominee.

I thought it was brilliant.

[stebo0728]

I was curious as to what your take would be on Pawlenty after some of his responses, they didnt seem to line up with things you've expressed here. I do wish you had watched it all though. I wish you had at least been able to see the performance of Mr. Cain. He did extremely well, and he walked away from that event with an exponentially larger amount of support.

The more I started to like Pawlenty, the more it confused my as to why you did, but then today you said he did start to back away from your support of him.

So ... question is, are you truly a supporter of another Obama term, or are you looking for an alternative?

[IBCoupe]

I'll vote for the best ticket on the ballot. I'm not really looking for anything.

It's more what I'm not looking for. Pawlenty used to be moderate. He seems to be gunning hard for the right.

[stebo0728]

And I understand your position on the NLRB issue, but I side with the candidates when they say that the federal government should not be in the business of dictating to businesses what they can and cannot do, aside from issues of public safety. I know you disagree, and we can leave it at that, I just didnt get all bent of shape last night the way they approached it. I rather agreed with Pawlenty's position on the matter.

[stebo0728]

Then theres this:

• Human Events: "Cain's outsider status, his clarity in his responses, and his successful past as a businessman who turned around companies that were failing, resonated with an audience that previously did not know much about him."
• CBS News: "Based on the Fox News focus group conducted immediately following the event, Herman Cain is about to run away with the GOP nomination."
• National Journal: "An African-American newcomer who brags about his lack of Washington experience bests a field of more seasoned pols. Nope, we're not talking about Barack Obama. We're talking about former pizza king Herman Cain, who dominated the first presidential debate of the 2012 campaign last night in South Carolina..."
• Even The Huffington Post agreed that Herman "sent shockwaves" at the debate.

[IBCoupe]

Easy to win a Republican Debate when the biggest figures in the Republican primary weren't in attendance. Wake me when Romney, Palin, Huckabee, and Gingrich show up.

Would you consider employee discrimination to be part of public safety? Or are you just peachy keen with eliminating the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

[telcoman]

Herman Cain will be participating in a debate, May 5th at 9PM, on Fox News. If I can get a link for the youtube afterwards, Ill post it. Check it out if you have the opportunity.

I wouldn't waste my time

One column I read by Dana Milbank stated it was a bunch of kids playing in a sandbox.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/08/2 ... es-in.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/07/opini ... f=politics

Everyone but Fox thought it was a waste of airtime

Telcoman

[stebo0728]

Heres some more for you to chew on:

http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepoliti ... traw-poll/ WA State straw poll win for Cain

Oh and this nugget I missed back in February:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/20 ... ix-summit/

Every where he goes, his common sense speaks volumes. I'm telling you, watch out, he's going somewhere with this.

[IBCoupe]

Let me know when the candidates that matter get there. Frum Forum's headline for the debate: "Why was Pawlenty on stage with these crazy people?"

Moderate Republicans weren't terribly impressed with Cain.

[stebo0728]

Well, time will tell. I look to be posting more and more as the days go by. If he doesnt make it, I will definitely look for ways to support whoever does.

[srellim234]

Trump decided not to run.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?secti ... id=8133428

[stebo0728]

Trump decided not to run.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?secti ... id=8133428

Ya the Huck's out too, and Newt's stepped in all kinds of crap already, I think this is gonna be a noobie's show, either Pawlenty, Bachmann, or Cain. Santorum is too polarizing, Romney cant hide his love-child healthcare plan, and Ron Paul, well he's Ron Paul.

[Cold_Zero]

Did you really think that statement through? Rick Santorum is polarizing, but Michell Bachmann is not?

Romney passed a health care plan, so what? Just because he ‘has one’ doesnt make him a 'Socialist like Obama' which is what I am sure you were trying to get at. If that is your level of measurement then kiss Mitch Daniels goodbye, because he worked with his state legislature to expand SCHIP. Besides, Romney did it the correct way. He worked with the people of his state, through the legislature to pass the plan.

And if the biggest complaint you have towards Ron Paul is that he is himself, I wont correct you there. While the guy may come off as being unable to communicate, he is a driving force in paleoconservativism and has been taking on neoconservativism for years. I would argue that he has done more to frame this year’s debate than any other candidate. He was mocked at the 2008 President Debates at the Reagan library, for the same ideas and in my mind looks pretty damn brilliant right now.

Gingrich may have ‘stepped in crap’ but he is right. We shouldn’t be legislating from the extremes with ‘right wing social engineering.’

I am glad Trump is gone. That guy was a blow hard anyway and wouldnt have been way over his head in the Oval Office.

[stebo0728]

Admittedly I dont know as much about Bachmann, so she may indeed be as or more so polarizing as Santorum, certainly being the tea party pick for now doesnt help her settle in the center. But she is not as well known by many others as well, so I see her moving farther along than Santorum, as she gets more spotlight, she may well spiral out.

I never claimed Romney was a "socialist like Obama". But his plan is nearly identical to Obama's. That detail is going to be hard to escape.

My comment about Ron Paul was not intended as a complaint, I actually like the guy and could get behind him I think if he dominated, but I dont see that happening. He's basically the libertarian candidate running as a republican, and I dont think he'll garnish as much support because of this.

Newt is just Newt, anything is truly possible with him, but he did make a couple major boo-boo's on Meet the Press.

Basically I just see this as being the underdogs race, the no name's race. America is extremely restless right now, and certainly the next 18 months will be some of the most interesting. Dont take any of my espousing to be any sort of gospel, Im just putting my opinion out there, and Im as eligible as any for being flat wrong in the end.

[Cold_Zero]

I never claimed Romney was a "socialist like Obama". But his plan is nearly identical to Obama's. That detail is going to be hard to escape.

I think we need to shed this idea that just because YOU do something that is like or appears to be like your political opponent, doesn’t mean you have sold your party or ideology up the river. A perfect example is raising taxes. While I support the Fair Tax, we can’t always, as Republicans, Conservatives or TEA Party members be constantly cutting taxes. The Government and the State/Country has to have some revenue streams to provide for the common good. But no, we get so locked in these political witch hunts inside of our parties that if you are a Republican that raises taxes in your state, you are labeled as a democrat/liberal tax and spend candidate and become damaged goods.

My comment about Ron Paul was not intended as a complaint, I actually like the guy and could get behind him I think if he dominated, but I dont see that happening. He's basically the libertarian candidate running as a republican, and I dont think he'll garnish as much support because of this.

So then he will never get traction, because people like you will wait around for other people to give the guy traction. And while he has run as a libertarian, he is technically a paleoconservative.

[stebo0728]

I never claimed Romney was a "socialist like Obama". But his plan is nearly identical to Obama's. That detail is going to be hard to escape.

I think we need to shed this idea that just because YOU do something that is like or appears to be like your political opponent, doesn’t mean you have sold your party or ideology up the river. A perfect example is raising taxes. While I support the Fair Tax, we can’t always, as Republicans, Conservatives or TEA Party members be constantly cutting taxes. The Government and the State/Country has to have some revenue streams to provide for the common good. But no, we get so locked in these political witch hunts inside of our parties that if you are a Republican that raises taxes in your state, you are labeled as a democrat/liberal tax and spend candidate and become damaged goods.

My comment about Ron Paul was not intended as a complaint, I actually like the guy and could get behind him I think if he dominated, but I dont see that happening. He's basically the libertarian candidate running as a republican, and I dont think he'll garnish as much support because of this.

So then he will never get traction, because people like you will wait around for other people to give the guy traction. And while he has run as a libertarian, he is technically a paleoconservative.

I dont intend to imply that Romney sold his party down the river either. My concern is that healthcare is still a major issue, many Americans dont like the moist towelette with words on it that got passed recently and want it repeals, and replaced with what? A nearly identical plan? That is a big ticket issue. Its not to imply he's just another democrat in elephant clothing, I value him to still be largely conservative, but healthcare is going to be a big issue. He may well be able to weather the storm with that hole in his umbrella, time will tell.

Are you giving Ron Paul any traction? I dont know, really, I'm asking. I think he is getting alot of traction, but maybe not the right kind. I agree with his staunch state-ism, but do most republicans? I see alot of what Paul brings to the table being brought by Cain also, but with alot more common sense, and less political gerrymandering.