His campaign called his refusal principled: “Citizens of states should be able to make decisions . . . on their own.” Got it? People cannot make “their own” decisions if Romney expresses an opinion. His flinch from leadership looks ludicrous after his endorsement three months ago of a right-to-work bill that the New Hampshire legislature was considering. So, the rule in New England expires across the Appalachian Mountains?
A day after refusing to oppose repeal of Kasich’s measure, Romney waffled about his straddle, saying he opposed repeal “110 percent.” He did not, however, endorse the anti-mandate measure, remaining semi-faithful to the trans-Appalachian codicil pertaining to principles, thereby seeming to lack the courage of his absence of convictions.
Romney, supposedly the Republican most electable next November, is a recidivist reviser of his principles who is not only becoming less electable; he might damage GOP chances of capturing the Senate. Republican successes down the ticket will depend on the energies of the Tea Party and other conservatives, who will be deflated by a nominee whose blurry profile in caution communicates only calculated trimming.
Sigh…
I think that the Republicans best hope (in terms of getting a good candidate) is for a brokered convention, in which none of the current pack win. It would allow one of those unwilling to run a brutal campaign to reconsider the possibility of a shorter one. But that’s probably not very realistic.
Though I’ve noted it in the past, this is worth commenting on again:
He also undercut his own negotiating team by regularly bragging—in political speeches delivered while talks were ongoing—of his plans to “end” the “war in Iraq.” Even more damaging was his August decision to commit only 3,000 to 5,000 troops to a possible mission in Iraq post-2011. This was far below the number judged necessary by our military commanders. They had asked for nearly 20,000 personnel to carry out counterterrorist operations, support American diplomats, and provide training and support to the Iraqi security forces. That figure was whittled down by Defense Secretary Leon Panetta and Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to 10,000, which they judged to be the absolute minimum needed.
My emphasis. This is the standard rhetoric of the Democrats, and was very common throughout the war and particularly in the 2006 and 2008 campaigns. Their only solution to wars is to “end” them — we are never allowed to actually win one by the left, or even consider the possibility, and haven’t been since World War II.
There’s an overview of the current state of the aerospace industry over at R&D Magazine. I think it’s a little too credulous about Liberty, and it would have been nice to see more recognition of what’s happening in the suborbital world than just a mention of Virgin.
…but at least it will be an eco-friendly toilet. It’s really infuriating that the administration continues to bail out the foolish and irresponsible with the money of the productive.
[Update a couple minutes later]
More brilliant government “investment” decisions. As he notes, these clueless idiots think that any dollar spent by the government is an “investment.”
The media has by and large been very supportive of the various Occupy stunts organized by unions and radical groups. The allegations of rape, pimping underage girls and underage drinking are largely ignored by a national press that repeatedly lied about the peaceful, law-abiding Tea Party movement. With Occupy, police have had to arrest more than 1,000 Occupiers — even as police ignore permit violations, camping violations and pot-smoking. I cannot recall police arresting a single Tea Party member, even though there were 100 times as many of them.
My hope is the American people will see through this charade and vote Republican next year in a backlash against this group of freeloaders.
I hope so, too. I wish there were a better alternative, though.
Isn’t it interesting that no matter what the current global crisis is, according to leftists, the solution is always the same: a benevolent world dictatorship of the enlightened elite, and mass transfer of wealth from rich nations to poor nations.
That’s what they want to do about global warming. It’s what they wanted to do about overpopulation. It’s what they wanted to do about endangered species.
I’m sure it’s just coincidence. But anyway, it will be a benevolent dictatorship, so that’s OK.
A middle-class boy from Los Altos, he fell in love with a middle-class girl from New Jersey. It was important to both of them to raise Lisa, Reed, Erin and Eve as grounded, normal children. Their house didn’t intimidate with art or polish; in fact, for many of the first years I knew Steve and Lo together, dinner was served on the grass, and sometimes consisted of just one vegetable. Lots of that one vegetable. But one. Broccoli. In season. Simply prepared. With the just the right, recently snipped, herb.
That is not a healthy diet. Broccoli is good for you but not just broccoli. He probably could have lived a lot longer if he’d understood nutrition better.