LET THEM EAT CAKE
Republican spokesperson
The ‘Occupy Wall Street’ protesters have been dismissed as marginal, dirty, not middle-class, unfocused dilettantes. A typical reaction is that of a hedge fund executive, who was reported in the NY Times as saying: “Most people view it as a ragtag group looking for sex, drugs and rock ’n’ roll.”
Or as a veteran bank executive said: “It’s not a middle-class uprising, it’s fringe groups. It’s people who have the time to do this.”
Another money manager wondered why the protesters weren’t properly grateful. “Who do you think pays the taxes? Financial services are one of the last things we do in this country and do it well. Let’s embrace it. If you want to keep having jobs outsourced, keep attacking financial services. This is just disgruntled people.”
I don’t think that the protesters would deny that they are disgruntled. But those among them who have been denied a mortgage or gouged by credit card/ATM fees will challenge the idea that we do financial services well. And as for paying taxes, the vast majority of the millions of unemployed would love to have that problem.
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PERRY’S ECONOMIC PLAN (AKA DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE WITH RICK)
Rick Perry called out Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan as being, not an economic plan but a “catchy slogan”. His plan, he said, is based on a simple premise: “Make what Americans buy, buy what Americans make, and sell it to the world,”
Which sounds less like an economic plan and more like – oh, I don’t know – maybe a catchy slogan.
What Perry fails to understand is that Americans buy Chinese stuff and Americans make increasingly little; so his plan is going to need a little tweaking.
One thing that Americans buy and still make – thanks to the auto industry bailout – is cars. But Rick Perry was a frequent and consistent opponent of that plan.
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ROMNEY’S A CHRISTIAN – NO HE’S NOT – YES HE IS – NO HE’S NOT
Robert Jeffress is an expert on who is a legitimate Christian (well he says he is). He’s the megachurch pastor who after introducing Rick Perry to the ‘Values Voters Summit’ told a reporter that Mormonism is a cult. Steve Deace of Townhall.com is good enough to point out why Jeffress is right (even though he cannot spell his name – calling him Jeffries).
One shocking departure from Christian doctrine Deace reveals is that: “Rather than teaching that the death of Christ is alone sufficient for the forgiveness of sins, Mormonism says sinners are not justified by faith alone, but also by works of righteousness and obedience.”
Whacking through the thickets of biblicanism we discover that Deace is saying that Mormons are deficient because for them faith alone is not enough you actually have to do good deeds. Heretics.
Deace then goes on to explain that you shouldn’t vote for a candidate because of religion but what his actions reveal about him. Romney is pariah: “because (of a) record of promoting a socialist takeover of healthcare in his state” and “the scores of leftist and unconstitutional judges he appointed as governor”.
I am going to have to reread the Gospels because I remember Jesus practicing a pretty universal health care, but I don’t remember him having any position on the political leanings or constitutional orthodoxy of judges.
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BACHMANN PUNISHES NEVADA
Michele Bachmann has announced that she is not going to compete in the Nevada caucuses because, in moving the caucuses forward, the Nevada authorities were messing with New Hampshire’s right to have the first primary.
Bachmann’s action is redundant. Polls indicate that she is not competing anywhere. The same goes for Gingrich, Santorum and Huntsman who are also boycotting Nevada. Huntsman is doubling down on his displeasure by boycotting the Nevada debate next week. That’ll show them.
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ANITA PERRY WINS ANOTHER FICTION AWARD
"and they won't leave Rick's hair alone either"
Mrs Perry hazarded the untenable claim that her husband Rick was being beaten up by other Republicans because of his faith. She now maintains that her son Griffin lost his job with Deutsche Bank because of the Obama administration.
The truth is that her son put his career on hold to help his father with his fund raising. SEC regulations prohibit financial advisers from being involved in political campaigns but they don’t say that family members have to quit their jobs. That would have been his choice.
Mrs Perry does do a service by reminding us that First Ladies have become a crucial component of Presidential administrations. You have to wonder how she would do in the White House if she is having this much trouble with campaigning less than two months in.
Her problem is that if you make absurd claims then when you might have something valid to say your credibility is shot.
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