South Beach and the Other 4 Florida's Make Their Choice Today
After 10 days of being the sole focus of the Republican Party, and two debates, the voters of Florida will give a clearer picture of who the nominee will be.. Yes, with a 50 delegate, winner take all primary up for grabs, whoever wins today will be the leader for the battle to take on Barack Obama in November...
OK, that's enough with the buildup... It's pretty obvious that Mitt Romney is going to win Florida today. The real question is by how much? Polls are showing Romney up by about 15 points over Newt Gingrich. At first , it looked like Gingrich had taken advantage of his showing in South Carolina, and had actually passed Romney. But there were a couple factors that turned the tide...
It appears that undecideds are actually watching the debates, because with each debate, the polls shift much more than they used to.. Gingrich wasn't his usual sharp self, while Romney righted his ship at the podium. Also, Gingrich's ties to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac as a historian (or lobbyist, depending on how you look at it) did not play well in Florida, where foreclosures have killed the statewide economy. Compared to Mitt Romney being a venture capitalist, Gingrich's ties were more palpable and thus viewed as a worse sin...
While the calls for Rick Santorum to step aside, so Gingrich can take Romney more head-on continue, it may not play out as he hoped. A telling poll is that if Santorum were not in the race, Romney would almost split the vote, still winning 49-33. It shows us that the voters are really doing their homework, because the is not much difference between the two. In short, Gingrich is in trouble.
All signs point to a significant Romney win... From here, Gingrich has to find spots other than a Deep South strategy. It's a nice block to begin with, but you need to win across the board. Santorum is praying (literally) for a Gingrich implosion, then a miracle. It's pretty doubtful, given that Newt's already fallen twice, then came back. Ron Paul makes nice window dressing and comic relief, but as far as winning, he is an afterthought.... Mitt starts to roll from here on.
Romney 44%, Gingrich 32%, Santorum 14%, Paul 10%.
.
Senate to Vote on Insider Trading Bill This Week....
Thanks to our good friends at MegaVote, we got notification of impending bills coming to the House and Senate. Most of these are unrecognizable or inexplicable, so we can't normally post on them until after they are voted on. The good news here is we're pretty familiar with the topic, so for once, we can tell you about something BEFORE it happens...
This week, the Senate will take up bill S.2038, aka the Stop Trading On Congressional Knowledge Bill, or STOCK... Yes, Congress does love it's anagrams.. Guess Senate/House Insider Trading Bill (SHIT) wasn't considered..... What? Ohhh.... While it sounds like Congress doing something to fix itself would be a good idea, we have little hope.
For those of you unfamiliar with the issue, we'll briefly go over it. A few months ago, 60 Minutes did a piece on Congressional Insider Trading. Insider Trading is basically using private information to profit personally. Stock Brokers aren't supposed to use it, but of course they do. The part that people didn't know is that members of the House and Senate have been doing the same thing for decades. Don't act surprised...
As Gordon Gekko said, if you are not on the inside, you are on the outside. Well, there is no place more inside than being in Congress... Think about it, with all the regulation going on in DC, knowing what is going to happen is priceless. Let's say a certain airline had a crash, and a NTSB ruling were ready to come down. Or the EPA were soon deciding on Fracking for Natural Gas in an area that would benefit a particular company, how much money would that be worth? A lot...
Being in Congress is essentially being ahead of the curve on every aspect of the economy, and certain members of Congress have made assloads of money by buying or selling stock based on that advanced knowledge. It's an unfair advantage, and even Congress recognizes that. The question is, will they actually do anything about it? We don't know...
We have our doubts. The basic problem is there is no one to make rules for Congress but Congress themselves... So, the fox is definitely watching the henhouse on this one. They are very likely to pass some watered down, milquetoast bill that does little, but allows Congress to say it did something. Isn't that all that matters? Still, when Congress makes it's own rules, they very often stick little riders that allow themselves other rights more destructive than the reforms they put under themselves. In short, they very well could make things worse under the duress of 'doing something'... It happens. A lot...
Will it go to the House, then to President Obama to sign? We'll see.. It may not even last the week. The Gordon Gekko's of the world are interested to see how it goes. Until then, if you want a good stock tip, we have some advice: ask your Congressman.
.
The Carolina Panthers Unveil Their New Logo ....
For those of you who are waiting for the Super Bowl, but sick of hearing about nothing but the Patriots, Giants, and reruns of Super Bowl XLII, the local NFL team has given you something to talk about.... or have they?
Yep, the Carolina Panthers have 'unleashed' their new team logo. As you can see, there really isn't much difference. The teal has been replaced by a slightly darker blue. Also, the whiskers and nose are blue, one eyebrow is raised slightly from a new cranial ridge, the jaw is more detailed, and there is one stripe at the bottom, instead of two... Uh, yeah.
The good news is that someone at the Panthers staff almost justified his/her pay. Maybe.. The bad news is that, unless the opposing team spends as much time looking at the new helmets on the field as we are here, it won't matter much... Too much is made of uniforms. The reason the Yankees won wasn't because the other team can't stop staring at the pinstripes - it's because they had Mickey Mantle. Somehow, we think having Cam Newton continue to develop will matter more than the new uniforms...
.
We Have a Good Reason Why The GOP Can't Center On a Conservative Choice... There Really Isn't One.
For months now, there has been a central debate going on inside and outside of the Republican Party as the battle for the nomination has gone on: Where is the Real Conservative?? It seems like almost every candidate in the field has claimed the title at one point or another. Yeah, lots of Republicans are conservative to a degree, but conservatism is not 100% of being a Republican. While it makes some in the party cringe at not being Ultra Right (politically, that is), there is a solution - join the Conservative Party. Yes, one actually exists, although they usually choose the GOP candidate anyway. Then again, you can learn a lot about football by watching from the sidelines too. Eventually, you have to get in the game...
That gets me to my next point: those who have recently gotten into the game. Yes, the Tea Party movement is a subgroup within the party, but trust me, it is NOT the complete makeup of the party. It's kind of like the little brother in the family that yells and screams for attention, but doesn't have any power over it. Need proof? Listen to all the jeers when Newt Gingrich's supporters talked about beating 'The Establishment'... Uhh, Newt is pretty much as Old School establishment as you can get. It's all pretty laughable. My advice to the Tea Party is this: the sooner you realize that 'idealism' doesn't work in the real world, the better. Our government is a two-party system, and Democrats will NEVER do 90% of what you are demanding, and Thank God for that. Shelby Foote had a great saying.. "Many Americans like to think of themselves as umcompromising, but it is our ability to compromise that has been our greatness." True...
Back to our original point. Why has there been such trouble in finding the True Conservative. Simple.... There is none. Don't believe us? You don't have to. just look at the indecision in finding one. But, for those of you who prefer proof, we'll go one-by-one, and figure it out together...
Mitt Romney
At first, he tried to put his conservative street cred card out, but even he quickly gave up. Smart move, because the worst thing you can do is try to be something you're not.. Easy call here. Romney pushed through Universal Health Care in Massachusetts, which is diametrically opposite of Conservative thought. Fiscally, he had been slightly conservative, but that gets knocked out by being Mormon. If there is one thing Conservatives hate, it's a guy who believes in a snake and a burning tree... C-
Newt Gingrich
So, what exactly is a Reagan Conservative? It's a nice tag. Thats about it. A Reagan Conservative is about the same as a Reagan Democrat.. Compare a Reagan Conservative to a Goldwater Conservative, and there is a real difference - the difference between winning and losing. Gingrich has a few checks on his side for conservatives: his Contract With America, which cut welfare and helped balance the federal budget. Problem was, Bill Clinton got more credit for it than Newt. Add to that his moderate stances with Global Warming, Cap & Trade and Immigration (which is realistic), and the Real Conservative tag is BS. C
Rick Santorum
On social issues, Santorum's conservative base can't be questioned. He's not only talked the talk, he's walked the walk. Good enough, right? Well.... Yeah, he was in Congress when the budgets were balanced, but Gingrich was more in the leadership position then, so Santorum loses there. The bigger problem was he was in the Senate when the Republican Party lost it's way with spending. Things like Medicare Part D were part of 'Compassionate Conservatism', which basically was an oxymoron.. And even conservatives don't like when you lose by 18 points. Only in the 6th SC District do they put up the same loser over and over and over and over.... C+
Ron Paul
Paul drives me crazy sometimes... I listen to him on some issues, and he makes total sense. Small government, balanced budgets, keeping the lines of communication open with Cuba and Iran... He makes a lot of sense, which is a nice change of pace from the tough talk the others do, but have no idea how to do. Then, he goes off the ledge on The Fed, Income Taxes, Drug Legalization and ending almost every branch of government... Conservative? Not quite. Ron Paul is a strict Constitutional/Libertarian. Like most of them, they use the Republican Party becuase no one wants 4% of the vote. C-.
Now to answer the question you are asking: 'Hey Mr. Smartass, so WHO is the Real Conservative here? The answer is there is none... Why? Because you cannot be in a position to run for President without having some sense of moderation politically. Even Senators have to play the game from both sides... What about the rest? Rick Perry? Nope, check his immigration, then check to make sure you have a heart.. Herman Cain? No record whatsoever.... That leads us to our last choice, and our case in point: Michelle Bachmann.
Yep, if you were looking for a Real Conservative, then you should have voted for Bachmann. That's the problem. First off, Bachmann and the term 'bat shit crazy' seem to go hand in hand. Why, because Bachmann never had a real plan, except for nice 10 second quotes. That is why you never see anyone above Congressperson as part of the Tea Party movement - their views don't work for anyone that has to actually run anything. Strict Conservatism doesn't play on the large scale, which is why none of the field left quite fits the bill. None are abject failures, as evidenced by their grades, but none made the Honor Roll. It may not make some of you happy now, but it'll be a nice 'compromise' in November.... Can't stand that word, can you??
.
"If there is a form of government, then, whose principle and foundation is virtue, will not every sober man acknowledge it better calculated to promote the general happiness than any other form?"
- John Adams, 1776.
Easy enough.. If our government has good ideals and is honest, they will naturally think of the general welfare in all their decisions, rather than special interests of a few. It seems to have been lost in translation recently..
Something that leads to general happiness here is Melissa Carnett.. Sober or Straight, she works for us!
.
Since you've all been such good boys and girls lately, we decided to give you a treat - one that we've never done before - THREE Cartoons! What, were you expecting cash???? Like most people, we like having elections, but we hate campaigns. Why? Because campaigns suck.. First , you have the attack ads, like they're picking on above..
Then you have all the debates, which I think is up to 20 now... Yeah, they're starting to become repetitive at this point, but every state needs 2 debates, right?
So, to get away from the campaigns, we finally got to the bottom of Barack Obama and Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Az) this week. Never discuss religion, politics, music... or books!
.
For those of you who haven't made your Super Bowl plans yet, and live in the Pee Dee, we have a suggestion for you: mix your Football and Politics into one! How? By coming to Andre Bauer's Super Bowl party in Florence....
Yes, the former Lt. Gov. and 7th District candidate is hosting a soiree at Alchemy on Dargan Street in Flotown. The good news is you can watch the game, and meet a candidate. The bad news is ..... wait for it.... it's a cash bar. With the good, you gotta take the bad.
We know what your question is: will WE be there? It appears to be no. Right know, our Super Bowl is filled with Manning's. Friday night will be at Moye's hut on the lake, then Saturday, it's off to Summerville to hang with Bobbo. Sunday, we will find a nice Giants bar in Charleston to watch the game with some old and new friends... It'll fall apart at some point. It always does, but we're not sure where it will deviate from plan. That's always the fun of it..
So, if you're unsure of what to do Super Bowl Sunday, you know have another option. Choose wisely!
.
Survey Shows Chicks Would Rather Cheat With the Giants' QB Than With Pats' Tom Brady... and We Know Why.
Give him some credit.. Eli Manning does have a little of that Joh Kennedy Jr. thing going on here. OK, maybe more like the guy from Sixteen Candles.... It's Super Bowl week, and we do mean SUPER! Yes, our G-Men have pulled off what seemed impossible a month or so ago, and are ready to play Tom Brady and the Patriots. Now, onto the question all of America is asking.... Who Do Chicks Dig More??
No, we haven't figured women out at all. We leave it up to the experts - you know, people who actually talk to them... We don't know what the single women think, but we got some insight into how married women think. In a survey taken this week. Women say if they could choose, they would have an afair with Eli Manning over Tom Brady. Yeah, a bit of a surprise to us guys. Peyton's little brother won almost 3 to 2. But reading some comments gave us an idea..
Things like 'boyish good looks' and 'sweetness' made up for Brady's cool hair and style. Another reason? Brady is viewed as kind of a scumbag... Why? Well, most of us guys forgot that he dumped a pregnant Bridget Moynihan for his current wife, model Giselle Bundchen. However, women NEVER forget that stuff. It's kind of funny, because we don't see the correlation between ethics and cheating.. Seriously, if you're cheating on your husband, you're gonna care what kind of guy you do it with? Like it really matters...
We have a different theory... We don't think the reason would be as honorable as Eli Manning's boyish looks. We think it's his quietness. Maybe it's shyness, but Eli doesn't talk much, and that's what a cheating woman would want - a guy who keeps his trap shut. You cheat with Tom Brady, and there'll be 500 papparazi in the bushes outside your house... Next thing you know, TB's on with Jim Nantz for the 20th time, gabbing about it. That's when your hubby owns everything - except the kids. No guy can deal with that... It's the truth.
Nope, you cheat with Eli, and NO ONE will probably know. Even if he did gab, who's gonna understand him - or believe him for that matter? Nope, Eli's the man... For more reasons than one!
.
The Speaker's Leaving Too Many Spots Blank For The Nomination..
We're 2 days away from the Florida Primary, and although things are not crystal clear, they are starting to clarify a bit. No, we don't see anyone in the GOP wrapping up the nomination anytime soon. Newt Gingrich is running a close second to Mitt Romney, which is nothing to be embarrassed about. But second place is the first loser, and there is no Miss Congeniality in presidential races.. Candidates often try to minimize their weaknesses, and Gingrich has a major problem on his hands - his organization.
Mitt Romney's strength is that he has a nationwide organization, while Gingrich put all his marbles in South Carolina. It paid off well here, but to win, you need a lot more than South Carolina. It's a national race, and Gingrich simply has not put together a national team...and it may be too late.
It's all numbers. According to numerous sources, Gingrich has failed to qualify to be on the ballot all over the place. There are over 2000 delegates up for grabs, and you need about 1100 to win. Gingrich is giving up on 544 of those contested delegates. Simply put, Newt has no shot at almost 25% of the delegates. He's giving Romney half of what he needs to get the nomination. He'd have to win more than 2/3 of the remaining ones left to win, and with most of them being awarded proportionally by votes, that is almost impossible. Winning a winner take all state like Florida would cut about 10% of that off, but it's starting to look doubtful. If he loses Florida, then he is theoretically almost 600 delegates down. Game On? Nope. More like Game Over....
It all still has to play out, but organizationally, Newt Gingrich is behind the 8-ball... He's far from dead. If he can find that fire he caught in the SC debates, he could come back. Votes count more than money or commercials, but it takes an organization to get on the ballot, and Gingrich missed the boat when he lost his gang last Summer... It's gonna be a tough climb.
.
Senator Kerry vs. Hockey Stick .... Stick Wins.
With the return of Congress, two things happened... First, President Obama got to do the usual White House visits for the winning sports teams, as both the St. Louis Cardinals and Boston Bruins stopped by... Secondly, we get to see what the Congressmembers were doing while on vacation. Both crossed paths this week.
Since the Bruins are from Baaahston, the local delegates stop by for photo ops. One of the attendees was Senator John Kerry, and he was sporting on hell of a set of black eyes... Apparently, the Senator was back home, taking part in a pickup ice hockey game. Hockey is a tough game, and not everyone should be playing it - especially old guys. There's a reason people retire from sports - they get effed up. Kerry was no different....
Yeah, Kerry got Swiftboated all right (sorry!) - right in nose. I caught a knee there once when I was a kid... It sounded and felt like getting hit with a 2x4. My nose gushed blood everywhere, although it didn't break. Then again, I don't have a big chickenhawk nose like Kerry... His broke, along with the usual pair of accompanying black eyes. Word is, Teresa Heinz Kerry used $100 bills to wipe up the blood, but we can't confirm that....
Another great side story that day was the no show of Bruin goalie Tim Thomas at the White House. Why? He said it was no offense to Barack Obama in particular, but to DC on the whole. Thomas, like most of America, thinks that government spending is out of control. So, in protest of Washington, he skipped the ceremony. And they say hockey players are stupid... At least not compared to Senators, they're not!
.
A warning before you read this post... We are going to be very honest and objective on this topic - almost to the point of being unfeeling. Yeah, we're going to be pricks on this one. It's not that we are bad.. We felt as sorry for Gabrielle Giffords as anyone when she was shot last year. In all honesty, we were suprised this hadn't happened before. With the lack of security that Congressmen have, it's been fortunate. The whole shooting in Tucson was a tragedy, and everyone has been pretty amazed by her progress...
Now that we have touched on that, please allow us to focus on what the people of Arizona's 8th District need - a working Congressperson. Forgive us for being realistic here, but Gabrielle Giffords did the absolutely right thing by resigning her seat in the House this week. She simply is not able to do the job, and she probably should have done it earlier...
From all reports, Giffords brain function is working well, but the part that works speech has been affected. A good example of this was the video her campaign put out this week to announce her decision. We didn't see the video. No, we did better - we listened to it on POTUS Radio. You could clearly tell that it was chopped and spliced together to form the speech. The vocal inflections were all over the range, where it was obvious it was done over and over and mashed into a speech. It sounded like a Customer Service voice machine, or Stephen Hawking's voice machine...
Politics is all about communication, and Giffords has a long road to rehab. As nasty as it may sound, it would have been unfair to the people she represents to have their district compromised by not having her there, fully capable of doing the job. It's sad, because she was considered a front runner to take Jon Kyl's vacant seat in the Senate. But, things don't always go according to plan. For now, she's doing the right thing. Her priority is to take care of herself, and the future will see where she can go from there... We wish her well, and congratulate her for ignoring the people asking her to stay, and making the right choice.....
.
Anyone for fried chicken? Looks like someone would rather have it fresh... Of course, this does remind us of the Gamecocks and Tigers. Either the tiger is catching up to the bird.....or the Cock is leading the way. Depends on which side you're coming from.
.
Aww, They're SO CUTE At That Age !!
Yes, we're a couple days behind on this one, but we didn't have time to blog... We didn't catch this as it happened during Barack Obama's State of the Union address. Hey, we can't blame The Whipper (or Ex-Whipper, as it were) for falling asleep on the job. We were promised by Jay Carney that Obama's speech would be full of meat. Instead, it had about as much meat as a Tofu Taco....
A couple things caught our attention on this pic. Of course, Jim Clyburn napping while everyone is in full standing ovation mode is classic! Dude, at least WAKE UP.... Then again, they do overdo the ovations during the SOTU's anyway... It gives you an idea of just how bored Clyburn has become during his slipping a notch or two during the past year. It seems The Sage has lost his luster, and his drive. It happens when you've already peaked, and you see the drop coming. Ask Lady Gaga...
Our other favorite on this is Nancy Pelosi... It would have been more appropriate if San Fran Nan had dropped her pantsuit (ugh, bad visual there) and donned a cheerleader outfit and Pom-Pom's...EVERYBODY UP, EVERYBODY DOWN !!!! 2,4,6,8 - RAISE THE RICH'S TAX RATE !! GOOOOOO, OBAMA!!!!
Yes, sometimes politics is simply laughable... Oops, time for our nap!
.
If you've read us before, you know we are not unbiased when it comes to Joe Paterno and Penn State football... My dad grew up in Pennsylvania coal country, and I have more relatives there than you can shake a stick at. There aren't any major colleges in Long Island, so when it came to a favorite college football team, Penn State was it. Joe Paterno is a legend there, and always will be. History may not make him marbleized, like the South has done to Robert E. Lee, but even the best statues have a little tarnish on it...
There is no secret that Paterno wanted to die as PSU coach. Why? Because it was all he knew. There was a lot of irony is Paterno's passing. Just like Bear Bryant, Paterno didn't last long without football. At first, I thought Saturday would have been appropriate day for JoePa to pass away, but Saturday was the day he usually won on.... Sunday was a day of rest. God's day...
I thought at first that I might be the only who thought that Paterno died of a broken heart, but that went away pretty quickly... Matt Millen voiced that thought within an hour of the announcement that he died, and lots of others repeated it as well... JoePa didn't get his wish to leave this world as the Nittany Lions coach, but he got just about everything else..
No, you can't summarize Paterno without addressing the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.. Like most fans, we're torn. Technically, Paterno did his job by passing the information to his superior. In hindsight, it wasn't enough when nothing was done. Maybe it was from a sense of loyalty to his longtime assistant, but JoePa let it slide in the hopes of it going away, and that was the wrong thing to do. Laws are there for everyone, without asterisks... Does it make him liable, or even worthy of his dismissal. No to use, but we don't thrive in the politics of big time athletics....
All in all, Paterno's legend will survive the slings and arrows of his mistakes. Like I said on my Facebook page, he WAS Penn State. We foresee tough times for their football program, but that wasn't always his priority... Joe Paterno ran a college football program like it should: he taught his guys about character, he graduated them - oh, and he won too. More than anyone.. Penn State will have their first new coach since three years before I was born.. For a lot of us, Joe Paterno represented what was right about amateur sports, and life in general.. Heaven will no doubt let him in - and surely JoePa will run right up the middle to get there!
.
As you probably know, we are making the move back to SC tomorrow, so we are a bit short on time today, so we're just posting one cartoon, and skipping the Founders Quote. Forgive us... It was hard to tell, but Congress actually went back into session after their Holiday Recess, but they got right back to work.... Or did they? We didn't notice either...
.
The 49ers Alex Smith Tries to Reach the Elite Air of Super Bowl QB..
Just like the GOP Primary, it's down to four.. There's no doubt who we're rooting for, but it sure hasn't helped our picks. Not that we have a great history of playoff picks anyway. Just like last year, we're 3-5 and searching for magic pixie dust. After thinking, we're going to be honest with ourselves, and just pick em... Onto the games!
Baltimore at New England
It's a pretty interesting matchup. The Ravens are a great road team, with a tough D and running game that often wins playoff games. On the other hand, The Patriots have an offense that even the Ravens might not be able to stop. Tom Brady is a big game QB (duh!).
The key we guess is how well the Pats D holds up against the Ravens. They stopped Tim Tebow, but Joe Flacco is a much better QB , though not super. They'll need to stretch the defense, and Torrey Smith, who is often invisible, needs a breakout game. But, the ability to put up 30 points, even against New England, is a tall order. Why 30? Because you CAN'T stop the Patriots offense.
Ray Lewis is out of his aging skill set here. Unless the Ravens can figure out how to double team Rob Gronkowski, Aaron Hernandez and Wes Welker at the same time, someone will be open - and Brady will find him.
Patriots 31-20.
New York at San Francisco
So, can my G-Men make it to their 5th Super Bowl, or do the 49ers return to former glory? We like history backing up today's guesses, and we have had plenty to justify the Giants improbable run... The Giants are hit or miss. they field plenty of good teams, but if they make it to the NFC Championship, they make it to the Super Bowl. Also, we go back to 1990, when the Giants took on a favored 49er team in San Francisco, and won 15-13 on 5 Matt Bahr field goals. Yeah, that one sticks out...
The 49er D-line scares the crap out of us, but the rest has it's spots to exploit. Face it, the Niners didn't stop the Saints, they just ended up with the ball last. Alex Smith has been playing up to his potential (or is it over his head), but here's what the Giants need to do: double team Vernon Davis - all game. The 49er receivers are not good, so taking Davis out, and neutralizing Frank Gore will make it tough for Smith to do much.
Eli Manning has been awesome this year, thanks to his best receiver duo ever in Hakeem Nicks and Victor Cruz.. It will be erratic, because he won't have much time often, but he will get his chances. They'll run a little, pass a little, and do just enough. We've been picking against them on purpose, but we believe now. One last stat: the QB pictured on our picks has been 0-7, which we have done deliberately. Malocchio !!!
Giants 23-20.
And now, the Patriots can try to have their Super Bowl 42 revenge...
.
We Go Inside the Numbers, And See If This Is a Trend Or a Hiccup..
Like we said, it's gonna be a long race... Yesterday, South Carolina gave Mitt Romney a gigantic bitchslap, and handed Newt Gingrich a convincing win in it's GOP Primary. How dramatic was the comeback? On Monday, Romney led 30-22.... It ended with Gingrich winning 40-28. So, Romney did lose a couple voters, but essentially Gingrich got all the undecideds, nearly doubling his output..
How did it happen? Mainly, Gingrich kicked the crap out of Romney in the two debates, but there are a few stats from the voters that make us wonder what they were thinking. In short, SC was set up for Gingrich to win, much like New Hampshire was made for Romney... Before we get critical, let's go over the good points. What made us happiest is that endorsements essentially don't mean squat... Personally, we don't care who Nikki Haley, Curtis Loftis or any of our local Senators or Reps voted. We make up our own minds, and it appears they did. Good for you!
What did they say? A few things, and not all made sense... The telling stat was that 48% now viewed Gingrich as the most electable. How so? Much has been made of the debates this week, and that's the point. No longer is policy or platform the key to electability - it's the ability to stand behind the podium, next to Barack Obama, and tear him to shreds in a debate. Yeah, Gingrich threw red meat to the voters here by attacking the media, but you can't accuse the media of bias in a General Election debate. Still Gingrich can debate better than Romney..
Electability is a good point, but we found a couple things confusing. For starters, voters viewed Gingrich as the 'True Conservative', with Romney dead last in that category, when the truth is Gingrich has plenty of moderate legislation and votes in his closet. However, it's not what you are, it's what you are viewed to be. Strangest of all was Gingrich's strength with Evangelicals. Again, he thumped Romney and even Santorum, who earlier got the endorsement of a coalition of a national group earlier this week. It's seems a bit hypocritical for devout religious people to vote for a guy who's been married three times, and admitted to adultery, but they see it as foregiveness... If they were looking for the most Christian-like candidate, any of the other three would be better, but they looked past that, and patted themselves on the back for being so forgiving.. How do we know this? Only 2% of voters said Gingrich had the best moral character...
No matter the thought process, the best part is that voters thought for themselves, and ignored the white noise of all the ads, endorsements and chicken bog speeches. It's on to Florida now, and it will not be as easy for Gingrich there.. Northern Florida is a lot like South Carolina, but Southern Florida is New York South, where Romney will do better. Rick Santorum even has a shot to do well, but with the delegates being awarded all to the winner, both he and Ron Paul may skip it... As we know, then days is a lot of time, so we'll just wait and see what happens.
.
We Finally Hit the Polls In the Palmetto State ...
We're going to be a lot different than other blogs about today's South Carolina GOP Primary. We are not going to mention any of the candidates here... Why? Because when it comes down to it, today isn't about any of the candidates - it's about us, the voters and citizens of South Carolina.
For most of us in the SCGOP, we've been preparing and working for today for over a year... Whoever we choose today will be a lot closer to the nomination in Tampa this Summer. Is it the guarantee lots of us here like to think it is? We're not sure it'll play out like every other time since 1980, but we'll see...
Basically, the pride should not be taken in who wins or loses today, but for those who have worked so hard for their favorite candidate - and maybe more so to those who aren't involved in the party, but tolerate all the robocalls, commercials, and signs, and vote anyway. All of you are the real winners today. What we ask for today is to see what happens, then go back to normal life, let it all play out, support whoever is the nominee, and prepare to take on Barack Obama in November...
So, get out the umbrella and vote today! That's all we ask, and you owe it to your country to do so. If you already have voted, thanks!
.
Newt Gingrich May Not Do Goal Posts For Paper Football Correctly, But He May Have Enough Room To Sneak In a Win...
We're finally here... One day left, then South Carolina will direct a clearer path for the Republican nomination. Will it decide who wins? No way... Will the winner of the GOP Primary be the nominee? Maybe, but it will be a long time before it is decided... We very well could be going to the convention unsure of who it is. But, we go step by step here. We're at the plate tomorrow - then everyone will evacuate The Palmetto State for another 4 years like someone poisoned the Barbecue!
We've been pretty good at reading the tea leaves so far, thanks to some pretty accurate polling. So, we're not clairvoyant - we just see the wave right before it crashes. It's pretty easy. We had lots of questions going into today, where we wanted to see how the dominoes fell. It didn't look good for Mitt Romney, who was left banking on the ABC piece on Newt Gingrich's wife to have some credibility, and to clear the air on his taxes. Neither happened...
First off, Romney looked defensive and stuttery when addressing his taxes, which he has a habit of doing often. If nominated, he better get that damned stuttering crap fixed, or Barack Obama will wax him in the debates... As for Gingrich, the ABC piece looked like a hatchet job, and Republicans have actually come to his defense, strengthening his position on the old issue. He also was much better at addressing the tougher battle than Romney had. In short, the waves are crashing in South Carolina - and Mitt Romney is going under tomorrow..
Romney has essentially held serve on his supporters, but all of the undecideds are falling Newt's way. The 'podium vs. podium' question as to who would debate Barack Obama better is pretty clear. Does it mean he's more electable? Not necessarily, given Gingrich's baggage, but we're not there yet. The fight for third has been pretty dull.. Ron Paul is not turning any heads, and Rick Santorum has not gotten the evangelical vote that he banked on. It seems odd that he can't beat a Mormon, a guy married three times, and a Libertarian, but apparently the voters are not placing that as a primary requirement...
Gingrich 39%, Romney 35%, Paul 15%, Santorum 11%.
So, we will go onto Florida from here... Does this make Gingrich the man to beat? Not yet, not by a longshot. South Carolina was where he set his flag, and Florida will cost a boatload of money to run with Romney - money he doesn't have right now.. Northern Florida may go for Newt and Santorum, but South Florida, aka New York's Sixth County, is nothing like here. Totally different turf... The string of South Carolina picking presidents may come to an end this year, but we'll see...
We'd like to thank you for checking in here during the Primary. No doubt we have some new readers, as our hit count has almost doubled since Iowa. Hopefully, you'll stick around for more on the campaign, and the General Election. We don't sugar coat or give partisan, agenda-driven advice..... We call it like we see it. And, we have plenty of pics of hot women to keep you interested!
.
"Government is instituted for the common good; for the protection, safety, prosperity, and happiness of the people; and not for profit, honor, or private interest of any one man, family, or class of men."
- John Adams, Thoughts on Government, 1776.
There was another part that we didn't quite agree with, so we cut it down a bit. It's our blog - we're allowed. Your local lobbyist will disagree, but government has lost sight of who they legislate for - the whole of society. When they work for the overwhelming majority of the citizens, it is better overall. When they specialize benefits to a select few, at the cost of the majority, then things go wrong - generally because those type of benefits come at an exponentially higher cost. Whoa, too many big words there....
One big word that doesn't give us headaches is Francoise - as in Francoise Bourdahl. She benefits all!
.
Two Days to Go, And The Race Is Like a Mosh Pit.... With One or More of the Candidates Waiting to Unexpectedly Get Kicked Square in the Face.
Flux... That's the best term we can think of to describe what's going on in South Carolina right now. Normally, with 48 hours to go, things are a bit more organized, with the campaigns having done all they can, and just focused on voter turnout. Not the case at all here. We haven't seen a race where there are so many variables left to decide a race. Sure, there are plenty of races that are within the margin of error, but we have no less than FIVE issues that potentially could turn the Primary result on Saturday.... and none of them include the stupid weather. Here they are:
Santorum Won Iowa?
Suddenly, we are hearing that Rick Santorum may have actually won Iowa - but they're calling his 34 vote lead, with 8 missing counties (Nice Job, morons!) a TIE???? While we doubt it will bump Santorum any, the cache that Mitt Romney had of two wins, and possibly going 3-0, is suddenly a possible 1-1-1. Not quite the mandate now, is it. Romney's inevitability is gone...
Perry's Out
Rick Perry is boring us with his dropout speech as we write this. No, 4.4% is usually not make or break, but Perry is endorsing Newt Gingrich. Will they all go to him? We doubt it.. South Carolinians are not blind sheep - they make up their own minds. The vote will split, but Perry being out does hurt Mitt Romney even more....
One More Debate
Tonight, the SRLC has the final South Carolina debate. Mitt Romney gets another chance to set people straight on his finances, taxes and business practices, and Newt Gingrich has one last opportunity to show himself at his best. Rick Santorum is trailing pretty far off, and Ron Paul has been pretty quiet as well. Both need to impress in the worst way, or this will quickly become a two-man race. If it does, Gingrich gains again....
Gingrich's Wife on ABC
Welcome to Mitt Romney's best hope... It's not good when you're depending on your opponent's ex-wife to drop an Atom Bomb on him, but Romney's done about as well as he can here. We're hearing that she will say he wanted them to become swingers (uhhhh, no thanks, Newt). Thta might get some of the Ron Paul voters to switch, but the big issue on whatever comes out is what the voters actually think about the charges. If she comes off as an angry jilted ex-wife, it may do nothing, or galvanize Newt's support. We're not so sure about that....
Undecided Voters
Like Iowa and New Hampshire, South Carolina has a ton of undecideds. I have my lab rat voters in reserve, both of whom voted for Obama in 2008, but are going Republican in 2012. One seems set on Gingrich. The other is still undecided, but views Mitt Romney as an elitist prick - unofficially. Roughly one-third of the voters are still deciding, but Gingrich seems to be gaining... But it all could end fast (see previous variable).
So, who are we picking? Well, we're not guessing just yet. Why? Because 24 hours is a long time when it comes to races like this. We'll get a much better idea of how it'll play out tomorrow, and we'll tell you then! It's a messy pit in there right now..... better stay out unless you have a sturdy pair of Doc Martens on!
.
You're Dismissed , Governor ..
The big news today was Rick Perry's impending announcement that he is ending his presidential campaign. And now, there are four... More importantly, Perry is encouraging his supporters - all 4.4% of them - to vote for Newt Gingrich. It doesn't sound like much, but that is within the margin of error between Gingrich and Mitt Romney. Otherwise, we probably wouldn't care....
It was a wild ride for Perry. Viewed as a frontrunner immediately, Perry quickly fell precipitously over the 5 months of his campaign. Yes, there were tons of verbal gaffes along the way which helped to do him in, but there was a bigger problem: Perry obviously didn't think the whole thing through. This wa clear during the economic debate where Perry did not have a plan prepared, but promised to have it by week's end. Fail...
Other factors did Perry in. 2012 is all about putting up a candidate who can beat Barack Obama. Nominating the Governor of Texas who seemed like a good ole boy that talked big would be too reminiscent of 2000 and 2004. Lots of Republicans (and most independents and centrist Democrats) are done with George W. Bush, and they weren't about to put a Bush-like clone. Maybe it's us, but we're sick of hearing how things are done 'Texas-style'... Texas has become the new New York - the people who talk shit all day, and annoy the hell out of the rest of the country.
In the end, Perry failed because he flat out wasn't Presidential. We think he got talked into running, and wasn't ready for the details involved. In the end, he started sounding like a hater. Many candidates become something they're not during their last cries, but Republicans don't envy people for making money. He'll probably look at that last week, and realize he didn't help himself long term. If there's a next time, hopefully he'll learn.
.
The GOP Field's Demand For Romney to Release Tax Return Shows People Will Do ANYTHING to Get Elected...
Typical to any election that get closer to a possible inevitability, the nearer Mitt Romney gets to being the clear cut leader of the GOP Nomination, the less his opponents seem to be..... well, Republicans. First, Newt Gingrich tries to blow a missle through Romney about Bain Capital.. Now, everyone suddenly wants Romney to release his tax returns.. Today. Our question is this: what the hell happened to the Republican Party?
Clearly, it's a case of class envy. Sure, we often envy those who have what we would like, but it's pretty sad to see candidates, particularly Republicans, try to use class envy for their own benefit. That's all it is.. Any Republican who is demanding that Romney show his tax return is only doing it to get elected. Everyone knows that Romney is very rich. Maybe even less than some people think.. His current net worth is somewhere in the $200 million range, which is certainly in the 1%, but all the voters know that. People aren't voting for Mitt Romney because he can relate to being an Average Joe.. It's beccause the guy understands business, and has run a state government pretty successfully as well. Sometimes, that's what it takes....
Truth is, no one needs Mitt Romney's tax return. All his financial info is available on the FEC website. It's required by them for any candidate for Federal office. We've filled one out ourselves. It's not fully detailed, but it gives an overall view of what he has, and that's enough. Why does he not have a return ready? Mainly because it's not due til April, and when you owe taxes, you pay at the last minute...Much was made of his disclosure that he paid about 15% in taxes last year. Doesn't sound like much, but that's because Romney's not even working, he's campaigning. The 15% is based on capital gains from his investments. If you want it higher, then be prepared to pay more in taxes yourself, because Cap Gains is a flat tax....
Class warfare never works, especially in the GOP. Seeing something like this from fellow Republicans is repulsive. Part of the party platform is letting the government interfere as little as possible, to allow any man to reach his/her potential with no limits. Well, apparently there are some candidates that think there is such a thing as too well off... unless it's them , of course. No one likes losing, but better to lose honorably than the scorched earth game played by some of these guys...
It seems that the one thing that has given South Carolina Primary it's distinction has somehow turned into a curse. By having chosen the GOP nominee every year since 1980, all the candidates see this primary as all or nothing. That is, if they win, it somehow is an automatic bye to the nomination. if they lose, it is all over by history. The truth is, the future is never written by the past. 2012 will go the full term, and it would not surprise us to see none of the candidates clinch the nomination. Therefore, it would go to the floor of the convention in Tampa. It wouldn't surprise us at all. So, all this ridiculousness of asking for Tax Returns today is a waste. We've got a long way to go. Too bad it's only more time for the candidates to destroy each other...
.
AAAAARRRRGGGHHH !!!! And Now Perry Can Debate Again !
For the last couple months, Republicans everywhere were wondering why Rick Perry was having such trouble at the debates earlier this year. Heck, we even diagnosed him as having ADD. But rather than being unable to focus, it seems we may have finally found out the cause: Corn Dog-Itis...
According to sources that will remain imaginary, Perry was at a Town Hall meeting in Barnwell, South Carolina, when he suddenly began to gag - kinda like that scene in Alien ,
where that thing popped out through the guy's chest. But, rather than that happening, Perry gagged out an entire Corn Dog he ate at the Iowa State Fair months earlier....
Witnesses said it was surreal... 'Perry must have swallowed that dang thing whole, 'cause that's the way it came out - stick and all!', quoted one witness. With the obctruction cleared, Perry seems to have regained the ability to speak and debate without Brain Farting anymore. The damage may have already been done, but at least he can finish strong....
.
SC Congressional Kingmaker is Among the Undecided ???
You might notice by now that we haven't commented on last night's SCGOP Debate in Myrtle Beach. Well, the reason for that is we were driving somewhere in New Jersey when they started, and they were over by the time we made it back to Yankeeville. We don't comment on things we haven't seen, which is why you should trust us implicitly on EVERYTHING we say!
We did catch some of the recap today on Fox, and one guest was 1st District Congressman and our buddy, Tim Scott. He was on this morning, commenting on the outcome, and he stated something that made us giggle: he said he has not made up his mind who he is voting or, and will not endorse any candidate. Yes, the man who has doen more to allow SC voters to see the field hasn't chosen one yet.. Or has he?
We've know Tim for almost a decade now, when he was on County Council, and we were running for Congress. Here's our opinion: Tim does think things through before making a decision, but he does not vacillate or change from them once he does decide, and we can't picture him making a last second decision. He knows who he's voting for, but playing Kingmaker isn't his gig. Getting credit for bringing the players here is much better than picking the winner for today...
So, the big question is who is Scott voting for? The answer is...... we have no idea! Sorry. We'd guess it would be one of the Gingrich/Santorum/Perry triumvurite, but none is a clear choice. He hasn't worked with any of them, and we could see reasons for him to not choose all of them. We don't think it's going to be Mitt Romney or Ron Paul. The others have no clear favorite, so why back a loser, only to have eventual nominee remember that you DIDN'T back him. It's a smart move, just like Jim DeMint is doing.
See, you can NEVER believe what your Congressman tells you!
.
This Past Year's Lesson: If Something Is Called 'Super', It Isn't..
If this is any indication, this year's Super Bowl is going to be one of those Buffalo-Denver circa 1990-esque games.. Why? Because if we have learned anything from the past year, it's that the term 'Super' has been way overblown - almost to the point of being a term of sarcasm...
We're learning a lot during the primaries here. A lot about the candidates, and the whole process, but what we also need to look at is what works, and what doesn't. We heard a lot of grumbling about it when the Supreme Court OK'd it, but we're really seeing the nightmare now. To us, there is no doubt about it: SuperPAC's suck...
Hell, we didn't even like PAC's that much. We've already hated individuals or corporations overinfluence on candidates or an election, but at least PAC's had limits. SuperPAC's are like PAC's on steroids... And we're already seeing the worst of it. Our trip to South Carolina showed us instantly the worst of the system as it exists. Most of the ads that we saw were negative, and under the guise of a SuperPAC - a faceless, nameless barrage of slamming with no trail for the average voter to waste their time tracing. It's sickening...
Look at Newt Gingrich. Yes, he has staff in South Carolina, but if not for the one guy in Las Vegas, of all places, Gingrich would be dead.. His supporters no doubt view this guy as a savior, but on person shouldn't have that much influence on an election, especially with the dubious attack ads leveled on Mitt Romney. Now, they all have SuperPAC's backing them. They go on rogue missions, with supposedly no communication or guidance from the campaign. Great idea, folks.. One rich guy without any restriction goes fully-cocked on an assault mission via TV to distort and destroy whatever they disagree with. Sounds like democracy to us...
No, we don't like cronyism, which is exactly what it is. We're trying to make government smaller, but instead, the elections are being taken away from the little guy, and thrown wholly into the hands of a few guys with cash....and agendas. It sucks.... It's too late to change anything this year, so be prepared for the worst election season EVER. But, SuperPAC's need to be ended. It won't be easy, since it's already been OK'd by the Supreme Court. But, something being legal doesn't make it right. Congress has to wipe the SuperPAC out, and say to the SCOTUS 'Thanks for the clarification, but we're better off without it'. Things can be fixed, but Congress has to have the will to do it... Will they? Don't hold your breath.
.
On the One Hand, I Could Get Up to Five Percent... On the Other Hand..... Aww, Fuggit! Huntsman Bows Out..
Like counting down the last hours of a very sick friend, we saw this coming for a while - especially after New Hampshire. Like we said, our endorsement - along with The State Newspaper - is the Kiss of Death. According to numerous sources, former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman will end his campaign tomorrow, and ask his supporters to vote for Mitt Romney...
As far as the Primary on Saturday goes, it shouldn't mean much. Romney may pull in the lower 30's now, instead of the upper 20's. It's one less candidate that would likely have been gone in a week.... but at least it is one less candidate. We're thinking the conservative triumvurite of Santorum, Gingrich and Perry may lose a member, but that's far from set in stone. We'll see....
Huntsman had the right resume for the job, but there are only so many cards to punch for more than the first few primaries.... and Huntsman's 'Ticket to Ride' was invalid, which is why we never recommend using any Beatles songs for reference... It's all moot now. Romney has his side of the field cleared... Now, we wait for the right side to make up it's mind. It's gonna be a long ride.
.
Sorry, We Didn't Go For Any Close Ups... But Trust Us, He Was There...
With time and resources being so short this week, it looked like we would completely miss out on the South Carolina Primary visits. Luckily, ONE candidate took the time to visit Florence: Rick Santorum. The former Pennsylvania Senator stopped by Percy & Willie's on David McLeod Blvd for a couple hours to give his message, and hopefully pick up a few votes. The retail politics might have helped a bit...
It was a pretty decent crowd of maybe 150 or so - big enough to make noise, but small enough to get a good look at Santorum. For those of you who have never seen a candidate in person, you are missing out. Getting to see a candidate unfiltered gives you almost all the information you need to choose - or not choose - one. For us, it confirmed a small piece or two that separates a vote or no vote. For others there, he was saying a lot of what they wanted to hear...
Santorum and South Carolina are a pretty good match. He makes no qualms about his faith, and even though some Protestants confuse Catholicism with Voodoo, there was plenty of middle ground. Judging by the initial reactions, not everyone there was an automatic supporter. They came because Santorum was there, and they were feeling him out. For us, we didn't hear what we like to hear... like actual platforms and plans.
Call it a character flaw, but we are nuts and bolts people. When you talk for an hour, and do not use a single number, we can't see how you will act as President. In a way, it was the conservative version of Barack Obama - lots of emotion and broad strokes. We like details. Lots of details. Santorum didn't get into any specifics until he took questions. Maybe he preferred to do it that way, but what if no one asked what you wanted... or asked any questions at all? The best way to make your points is to do it yourself.
We're not here to bury Santorum. He's a very nice guy, he is not at all the kook Ron Paul or Rick Perry are. He is more realistic in what can and cannot be done. We just think there are better candidates out there. His message will do well in South Carolina, and he could end up the 'Conservative Alternative' that the party is still sifting through. He may even be the eventual nominee, and if he is, we'll vote for him. But we ain't there yet....
Above all, the cool thing was that one of the candidates actually set foot in my town, and spent a couple hours here. Retail politics worked well for him in Iowa, and if no one else bothers to stop by, he will benefit from it again. Six days to go, and unfortunately, we are packing up for the week to play one last show, and pack up for the final move. Just like the candidates, and the media throng following them all around...
.
Virginia Governor Doesn't Pick One Presidential Candidate... He Picks Three !
We apologize for not giving you more of the South Carolina Primary here this week. We drove down Friday, and had family business to take care of yesterday. We'll get out locally today for whatever we can, but tomorrow, it's back on the road up North for a week. Still, we're trying to give you a story or two that you might not read elsewhere...
Honestly, the Pee Dee has not been a hotbed of activity for the GOP candidates this week from all accounts.. They're traveling up and down I-26 and 77, but that little run up I-20 or 501 seems past their abilities. So, sometimes they have their friends do some of the work for them. Last night, Rep. Tim Scott had another forum, with Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell in attendance at Broadway at the Beach. Thought the cold didn't help the shagging, the politics was plenty hot. Like many Republicans unwilling to stick their neck out, McDonnell was uncommittal to any candidate... sort of.
No, he didn't pick one - he picked three. But at least, there was a clear theory behind it. McDonnell said either Mitt Romney, Jon Huntsman or Rick Perry would be good choices for President. What is the common theme? They are/were all Governors. Since states HAVE to balance their budgets annually, no matter what the fiscal climate, they are uniquely qualified to address the budget deficits and make the tough choices needed. Not a bad idea, considering that any Congressman or Senator from the past decade has some level of responsibility for today's fiscal mess..
We could live with McDonnell's assertion, although we don't think very much of his lack of conviction, but he has a good reason. McDonnell may be hunting down a VP nomination from the winner, and you could certainly choose worse than him, not to mention the electoral perks. Virginia governors only serve one term, so McDonnell's gig will end soon anyway. Add to that the Cavalier State's position as a state in play, and he could be a major player. Barack Obama mentions various states in certain terms, to help his cause. They are usually Ohio, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Florida... and Virginia.
Like they say, Governors govern. Well, most of them. An outsider could be just what DC needs, but cracking the local club isn't easy. Still, having some experience would be nice...
.
"Men, to act with vigour and effect, must have time to mature measures, and judgment and experience, as to the best method of applying them. They must not be hurried on to their conclusions by the passions, or the fears of the multitude. They must deliberate, as well as resolve."
- Joseph Story, 1833.
Story makes a great point that we don't think enough about - taking time to think... Too often, we succumb to pressure. That we need to do this today, or the world would collapse.. From off the top of our head, we can think of four or five occasions in the past few years where we've been told the world would end if we didn't pass legislation today. By both sides... Our answer? Bulllshit.
It's easy. Plan ahead, take the time to think everything through, and good legislation will follow. And don't get caught up in the political aspects of each bill.. Not getting caught up in Welsh hottie Danielle Lineker isn't so easy....
.
Yes folks, we are blogging from Southern Soil... We're back at our old blogging spot on the coffee table in our home in Flotown. Finally, SOMEONE is coming to Florence this week, when Rick Santorum visits Percy and Willie's. We might take a peek before the Giants/Packers game. We might even drag my brother there, who cares nothing about politics...
Good week for the cartoonists... Lots of things to pick from, and the quality of the art was pretty detailed as well. We decided to go with two. First, we liked this one, because it's nice to see politicians take credit for job creation, when government plays little to no role in it...
And we decided to stay away from politics... It may not seem much like it the last couple days, but it's been a pretty mild winter. It hasn't even snowed in Yankeeville, thanks to either of two things: La Nina is keeping it dry, or it's because I'm leaving...
.
