Things feel a little flat on the presidential campaign front, and Republicans are beginning to fret. Where's Romney? How come he hasn't hit ObamaCare out of the ball-park? How come he hasn't wrapped Obama in ObamaTax? How come he got photographed riding a jet-ski?
Here's what I think. I think that Mitt Romney spent the entire Fourth of July week strategizing. And that's a good thing. Starting from now we will start to see what Romney and his people think they need to do to prepare for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, August 27-30, 2012.
The first thing out of the box appears to be a decision to go after the president on his Bain outsourcing message.
Meanwhile everyone is offering their advice. Here's Pat Caddell writing about "trust" and "taxes." Here's Hugh Hewitt's chappie Clark Judge writing about the "battle of the agendas phase" of the campaign. And there are a ton of people declaring that Romney has screwed up. Totally.
In my view, this campaign offers Republicans an extraordinary opportunity to talk to the American people about some basic facts of life.
On taxes, I'd talk about the choice. OK, Mr. President, so you want the rich to pay a little more. Let's agree that we want to use the money of the rich for a good societal purpose. Now, the question is: will the rich contribute more by creating new jobs (since almost all of "the rich" apart from liberal trustafarians are business owners) or by paying more in taxes? What do you think, America?
On trust, the question is how to call the Barack Obama untruthful without calling the President of the United States a liar. It's a delicate question that I am happy to leave to the professionals.
But the bigger question, I feel, is to make politics bigger. The fact is that politics seldom gets beyond "what have you done for me lately?" People support candidates that they expect to turn around and reward them. That's why Social Security is a success. Most people think that they benefit. That's why ObamaCare is in trouble. Most people think that they are going to get screwed. It all adds up to Springtime for Freeloaders.
Our liberal friends are the worst at this. They claim to be working for the good of all, but when it comes to the hustings it's all about class warfare and the race card and we care about you because we spend money on you.
What I want is a move away from the clientism of welfare-state politics towards a "culture of involvement." In my America we won't need big government because every person in America will be engaged civically in contributing their time and money to the solving of social problems large and small. It would be a society that is less governmental and more social.
Meanwhile we have an election ahead, a sluggish economy, and a president doing his best to divide us. I just hope that Mitt Romney came up with a good plan from his Fourth of July recess.
I am not talking about a "plan" for the economy. We know what is needed there: tax cuts, spending cuts, regulation cuts, and sound money. I am talking about a "plan" to persuade the American people to vote out President Obama, the worst president in history.
Here's what I think. I think that Mitt Romney spent the entire Fourth of July week strategizing. And that's a good thing. Starting from now we will start to see what Romney and his people think they need to do to prepare for the Republican National Convention in Tampa, August 27-30, 2012.
The first thing out of the box appears to be a decision to go after the president on his Bain outsourcing message.
Meanwhile everyone is offering their advice. Here's Pat Caddell writing about "trust" and "taxes." Here's Hugh Hewitt's chappie Clark Judge writing about the "battle of the agendas phase" of the campaign. And there are a ton of people declaring that Romney has screwed up. Totally.
In my view, this campaign offers Republicans an extraordinary opportunity to talk to the American people about some basic facts of life.
On taxes, I'd talk about the choice. OK, Mr. President, so you want the rich to pay a little more. Let's agree that we want to use the money of the rich for a good societal purpose. Now, the question is: will the rich contribute more by creating new jobs (since almost all of "the rich" apart from liberal trustafarians are business owners) or by paying more in taxes? What do you think, America?
On trust, the question is how to call the Barack Obama untruthful without calling the President of the United States a liar. It's a delicate question that I am happy to leave to the professionals.
But the bigger question, I feel, is to make politics bigger. The fact is that politics seldom gets beyond "what have you done for me lately?" People support candidates that they expect to turn around and reward them. That's why Social Security is a success. Most people think that they benefit. That's why ObamaCare is in trouble. Most people think that they are going to get screwed. It all adds up to Springtime for Freeloaders.
Our liberal friends are the worst at this. They claim to be working for the good of all, but when it comes to the hustings it's all about class warfare and the race card and we care about you because we spend money on you.
What I want is a move away from the clientism of welfare-state politics towards a "culture of involvement." In my America we won't need big government because every person in America will be engaged civically in contributing their time and money to the solving of social problems large and small. It would be a society that is less governmental and more social.
Meanwhile we have an election ahead, a sluggish economy, and a president doing his best to divide us. I just hope that Mitt Romney came up with a good plan from his Fourth of July recess.
I am not talking about a "plan" for the economy. We know what is needed there: tax cuts, spending cuts, regulation cuts, and sound money. I am talking about a "plan" to persuade the American people to vote out President Obama, the worst president in history.
>>>What I want is a move away from the clientism of welfare-state politics towards a "culture of involvement." In my America we won't need big government because every person in America will be engaged civically in contributing their time and money to the solving of social problems large and small. It would be a society that is less governmental and more social.<<<
ReplyDeleteOh man! What a nirvana that would be! Do you think we can ever get there or is it too late?
How fast we forget that:
ReplyDeleteHe, Romney, came into the race as an "incumbent" claiming that "his turn to run has finally come"
He, Romney, put up the most durty campaign possible against his GOP opponents
He, Romney, said that against Obama is going on policies and not with ad hominem attacks
He, Romney, didn't learn much from others, like Gingrich for example, that to knock Obama out of the ring one has to follow him every etep of the way and not let him get away with his Marxist/Socialist/Communist/Statist ideas
Wait until the MSM will unearth Romneys 7 imaginary wives to finish him off
I'd like to see someone from the Romney campaign ask why Obama is criticizing Bain for doing exactly what the Obama administration is doing - handing out jobs to China. I read that at least two of our big infrastructure projects from "stimulus" money were awarded to companies from China, and I saw American contractors saying they could have done the job for the same money.
ReplyDelete