Politics
Out of context: Reply #9482
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- ukit0
This is a surprisingly reality based analysis by one of Bush's former speech writers.
http://www.cnn.com/2009/OPINION/…
"In New York, Republican feuding lost the party a seat in the House of Representatives. At stake in Florida is not only a senatorship -- but very possibly Republican hopes for 2012 as well.
The battle in Florida pits Gov. Charlie Crist against former Speaker of the Florida House Marco Rubio. Both men claim to be conservative, pro-life, tax cutters. On the issues, they would seem to agree far more than they disagree.
But on one issue they have disagreed passionately: President Obama's fiscal stimulus. Squeezed by his state's desperate fiscal condition, Crist endorsed and campaigned for the Obama stimulus. Inspired by his conservative ideology, Rubio opposed stimulus.
Now Rubio is the darling of conservatives nationwide. Just this week it was announced that he would give the keynote address at next year's annual Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington. He has been profiled on the cover of National Review, endorsed by the Club for Growth, and feted by radio talk show hosts.Crist -- who as recently as 2008 topped the libertarian Cato Institute's list of favorite governors -- has been consigned to pariah status. Here's the significance of the Florida contest: Every state except Vermont is legally required to balance its budget.
With revenues collapsing in 2008-2009, every Republican governor in the country eventually accepted federal funds. (The two most vociferous objectors -- Alaska's Sarah Palin and South Carolina's Mark Sanford -- were either physically or mentally checking out of their jobs.)Are all these Republican leaders, including such outstanding figures as Mitch Daniels of Indiana and Haley Barbour of Mississippi, now disqualified for future races?"
I think this gets to the fact that this new wave of Republicans, who claim to be experts at free market economics, are not being very realistic in their critiques. A part of the stimulus wasn't intended to create new jobs, but to do exactly what Frum describes, save states from tanking during the crisis. What were they supposed to do at that point? People need to think carefully about the shitty situation the Rs left us in before even considering voting them back in.