Tag Archive for 'presidential-campaign'
Talk about gambling, predicting the outcome of presidential politics is pure fantasy, but also fun. James Williams always gives me hope that someday I will understand something–anything about politics, that is. Which is a lot more than I can say about those TV pundits who take the insignificant, blow it up, out of proportion and not only predict winners and losers, but cast eternal judgment (condemnation) upon the poor candidate who happens to be in their sights at the moment. And 4 hours later, they completely reverse their predictions and damnations. James, you are a breath of fresh air.
I wish I could do this interview justice, but I am afraid I am still pressed for time, so if you want to hear two guys chew the fat, this is a good listen. The first half focuses on the presidential race, who we like, whose up and whose down and whether that means anything. The last half jumps into Georgia politics and the hot items at this legislative session like property tax reform.
Gotta go!
If Romney’s apology for being a Mormon impressed anyone, I can only assume they don’t live in America. If they do live in America, they need remedial education in Constitution 101. I don’t know if I am more embarrassed for Romney having to make the speech or for America for needing the assurrance.
I think Obama should do the same. I want to make sure that because he is black he doesn’t let some deep-seated resentment about slavery cause him to murder me in my sleep if he becomes Commander-in-Chief.
And I sure as hell want Hillary to swear to heaven that I don’t have to worry about an executive order requiring all first born sons to be castrated. (BTW, I was not a first born.)
Since Romney is running as a Republican, maybe I should direct my disgust at a party whose support for a candidate is apparently influenced by his religious orientation. However, I have little reason to believe that a Mormon candidate would not have to do the same thing had he been born a Democrat.
My sympathy, if any, for Romney is tempered by the fact that he asked for it. I don’t recall when it was or exactly what he said, but I seem to remember some months ago he made a reference to his faith. Well, open the door and let the morons come in. Say hello to all those non-judgmental people that are going to judge what that means. Frankly, when a candidate affirms his faith, I know two things: (1) He is being handled by someone, and (2) I am being manipulated.
I want an honest man, a guy who hasn’t been indicted for taking money under the table. I would probably hold wealth against someone (because I wonder about their ability to understand what “We the People” need), before their religious orientation.
Anyone that can look at a Romney and worry about the extent to which a good, moral man would ask his church what he should do about NAFTA certainly needs to be checked for alien implants.
I am much more concerned about the quiet egomaniac who had a religious experience and now is amazed that God has chosen him to be President. That kind of guy is likely to start a war with God’s enemies. He scares me to death regardless of whether he is a Mormon, a Methodist, a Baptist or whatever.
I sincerely hope that the need for candidates to disclaim undue influence by their church or their faith is a Republican perversion, because I want to vote for a candidate who will tell some folks to go to hell. That is why I won’t vote for a preacher for president or dog catcher. If any of this offends you, …………………………….
He raised $4 million in campaign contributions in one day. He’s a Republican Congressman from Texas, but he would end the Iraq War quicker than any Democrat–or Republican. He carries a copy of the US Constitution in his pocket. He answers questions whether you like it or not. He thinks most of the federal agencies are illegal and should be abolished. He believes the States ought to have to fix their own problems, keep their own money and be responsible to their own people, not beholden to the money dispensers in Washington. His concept of government is not what we were taught in 10th grade civics. It is different, maybe even radical, and Ron Paul scares a lot of people because if he were elected and had his way, two things would happen: (1) all those power brokers in and out of government would experience what many average Americans experience everyday: unemployment and uncertainty about paying the mortgage by the 10th of the month, and (2) “we the people” would have to grow up and govern ourselves on a local level and could no longer blame Washington for our problems.
Or at least that is what Joe Seehusen, Deputy Campaign Manager for Ron Paul for President, told me. My thanks to Joe for the interview. While I won’t hold Ron Paul personally responsible for everything and anything Joe said, as Deputy Campaign Manager, I assume his answers reflect generally the attitude and approach of Ron Paul. For that reason, I will talk about Ron Paul, not Joe. Sorry, Joe, but I guess that just goes with the job.
While Ron Paul is elected as a Republican, he is a Libertarian if he is anything. And I don’t say that with any degree of criticism. Trained as an obstetrician, he is known as “Dr. No” because of his consistent votes against things like the “Bridge to NoWhere.”
Ron Paul (and Joe) believes in the Constitution like the religious right believes in the Bible. He is dead serious about restoring the power to the States, and in doing so, gutting the federal government. The problem with Ron Paul is he thinks we Americans are capable of governing ourselves, that instead of griping and moaning and being thankful there is someone else to blame, we could actually deal with most of our problems on a state by state basis.
While Ron Paul has recently gotten a boost, he is still in single digits in the polls. I don’t think he has a chance to win the election, but in many ways I wish he did. If he were in the lead, maybe it would prove to us that we really do want a candidate to tell us the truth, not just what we want to hear.
Take campaign finance. Most of us believe there is too much money in politics. We don’t like the power that lobbyists exert over the people that are supposed to be doing what is best for us. Most of us would probably support laws that restrict the influence of money. Ron Paul, however, thinks differently, radically different. I would say even refreshingly different. Joe would not represent himself as speaking for Ron Paul on this issue, so I have to say this is what Joe thought the answer to the problem is. The answer is to take away the power of the politicians to give the lobbyist what they want. If there are no federal agencies regulating business activities, if Congress isn’t passing budgets to spend trillions of our dollars, the things that lobbyist go to Washington for won’t exist. Now, that is a radically different way to look at the problem.
I feel about Ron Paul like I feel about ending the war in Iraq. I am ready to end the war tomorrow. I agree that I don’t know what would happen as the result of an immediate pullout, but I am willing to deal with whatever that brings rather than staying there another day. I truly wish we, as a nation, had the courage to elect someone like Ron Paul. I think he scares us because his ideas are radical, they are not what we are accustomed to. But, I know we would survive, and we just might be the better for it.
And why could Ron Paul raise $4 million in one day? Because there are a lot of people in this country that are not opposed to revolution, who are not married to the old ideas about government and how it should be run. They are growing in numbers and impatience. It is just a matter of time. It may be 2008. It may be 2012.
We may not elect Ron Paul next year, but I am confident that America is lost unless and until we grasp a radical new concept of government. That new concept may not be 100% Ron Paul or 100% Democrat or 100% Republican, but whatever it is, we need it to survive.
What do you not talk about when you talk to James Williams a/k/a GriftDrift? From water rationing to development to the ‘08 Senate race to presidential politics, we cover the gamut, including holy water and vampires.
As you may know, Governor Perdue was in DC last week meeting with the Secretary of the Interior in an effort to resolve the water war with Alabama and Florida. As James points out, the farmers in South Georgia have known there was a water crisis for years. However, the farmers (developers) in Atlanta probably knew the problem existed and was much worse than the general public was aware. They just didn’t want to deal with the issue because any legitimate discussion of the future of water in Atlanta should include a discussion about controlling development. As James notes, talking about restricting development in Atlanta is like throwing holy water on a vampire.
The problem with the water crisis is the worst is yet to come! The economic impact of water rationing could impact North and South Georgia. Water restrictions have already had an impact on those businesses whose economic viability depends on water and plenty of it. The question is how long can they hold on before they go under, file bankruptcy or otherwise significantly impact employment levels. The sad truth is that there probably is no solution that can be put into effect in time to solve the problem unless the rain returns and soon.
A few comments about Rep. Jim Marshall (GA 8th) and his recent vote against SCHIP funding. Marshall is apparently confusing the Democrats with his Republican leaning votes. According to James, Marshall probably believes the program is a good one, but just doesn’t need the level of funding the Democrats are pushing. Either way he is confounding both parties.
As for the Senate race, Chambliss is polling at 58% according to the most recent Strategic Vision poll. I wonder if the election will end up being a referendum on Chambliss’ unwavering support for Bush and the Iraq War.
As for the Democrats, of course, Vernon Jones, the DeKalb County CEO, is ahead of the pack in fund raising. Some people think he already has it sown up, but Josh Lanier from Statesboro, a Talmadge Democrat, has recently formed a committee to look into the possibility of making a run.
As for presidential politics, Hillary is the Democratic favorite in Georgia, Thompson the Republican. Hillary does appear to have sown up the Georgia vote recently getting Civil Rights leader Rep. John Lewis’ endorsement.
James thinks Romney will ultimately win the Republican nomination. If it ends up with two New Yorkers, Hillary and Rudy, opposing each other, the question may be how many Georgia voters will just stay home during the primary. None I hope. However, by the date of the Georgia primary on February 5th, the winner of both the Democratic and Republican nominations may be sown up.
Fred Thompson appears to be the dog that caught the car and now that he has it, doesn’t know what to do with it. While Thompson may still be the number one choice of Georgia Republicans, I think he has little chance of getting the nomination. One minute Fred sounds great and the next he looks old. As James points out, Fred is a good example of the difference between the type of politician we say we want and the type we will actually vote for. We don’t want Slick Willie until we see unslick Willie and then we prefer the slick one.
Let’s face it. In these days and times, politics makes little sense, but it is even more important to be involved.
At least capitalism is still alive, even if it is thirsty. James and I are both thinking about renting out our trailer (mine) and cabin (James) to people from North Georgia that might want to move someplace where they can take a bath 3 or 4 times a day and not worry about running out of water.
Erick just returned from a Values Voters Summit in DC last weekend. I didn’t know that when I asked for the interview, but it did prompt a question or two. Like, does the religious right have the influence in politics that it had 4 years ago? The answer is interesting.
The first thing Erick told me was that some Republicans are mad at him for getting Democrats elected. That’s good! We need more bipartisanship. I assume Erick was referring to his support of Robert Reichert, a Democrat, in the mayoral race in Macon. Believe it or not, I worked for Robert’s law firm in 1979-1981 when his father was the Senior Partner–before Robert went to law school even.
Fred Thompson: Fred made a better non-candidate than candidate. Erick’s information is that the Thompson campaign is in the “play it safe mode.”
Mike Huckabee: Huckabee was a close second to Romney in the Values Voters’ straw poll. According to Erick, many of the Republicans who are focused on value issues are not happy with Thompson and are turning to Huckabee. However, Huckabee scares the business community to death because of his fiscal policies.
The 2008 election may determine whether or not the grand coalition put together by Ronald Reagan of business and religious interests can survive the ideological failures of the Bush administration. According to Erick, the fiscal conservatives (I guess the ones that are tired of deficit spending to finance the Iraq War rather than the ones who want tax cuts.) are ready to jump from the GOP and support Hillary. Now that’s a thought to ponder!
Apparently, the business interests believe the social conservatives have gotten more for their dollar since 2000. As Erick says, the fiscal conservatives got the tax cuts, and the social guys got everything else. I am not sure two Supreme Court appointments, a partial birth abortion ban and a stem cell veto are enough to represent everything else.
Another interesting thing is Erick’s statement that the conservative right is shifting its focus from abortion to gay rights, particularly gay marriage. Since abortions are decreasing and polls suggest people are less likely to support a total ban on abortion, gay rights and gay marriage are the new frontier.
Erick suggests that while Christian leaders, like Chuck Colson and James Dobson, don’t necessarily agree with the shift in focus, there is a growing appreciation within the Christian community that legislating morals may not be a good thing, particularly if you cease to be the party in power. While legislating morals is a dangerous practice, I am not sure I can see this shift in Georgia.
Erick thinks that while Christian influence on a national level is decreasing, it is still strong on the state level.
We discussed briefly the proposed constitutional amendment to define life that may come to a vote in the 2008 legislature. Erick has seen the definition of “life,” which apparently says that life begins at conception and ends at natural death. (Is death by execution a “natural” death?) The interesting thing is that Erick says the National Right to Life and Americans United for Life oppose the Georgia amendment. The consensus is that it is unconstitutional and a waste of taxpayers’ money to even put it on the ballot. Now, does anyone want to bet whether or not they (the Republican leaders of Georgia) go ahead and waste out time and money?
Rudy Giuliani: I had never heard there was an “Italian vote,” but Erick says there is a big one and it could make the difference if the final match is Hillary versus Giuliani. The Italian vote generally splits 55/45 Democrat, but with Rudy it splits 85/15 Rudy. If the final duel is between two New Yorkers, Erick says Hillary will have a harder time in the South than Giuliani because she has to also overcome the “woman” factor. Maybe, maybe not.
And what issues will the 2008 election turn on? I wasn’t surprised to hear that the usual domestic issues from healthcare to the deficit would be significant, but I almost fell over when Erick told me that big business CEOs were now primarily supporting Democratic candidates because they want big government to take some of the big issues off their shoulders, such as health care. Make it a government program! Who cares, just get it off the bottom line of the profit and loss statement. I guess that makes sense, but I just don’t see the CEO of Walmart as a Democrat.
Opposing the Democratic CEOs are the Republican Entrepreneurs, those who still think the private sector can deal with most of these problems. What problems? I guess like Blackwater solving the problem of not enough troops on the ground.
I guess only time will tell if Erick’s observations about trends prove correct, but it is always a pleasure to get his viewpoint. We did agree on one thing: No one wants another Bush!
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