Just two years ago Marco Rubio was too extreme to defeat popular Florida governor Charlie Crist. The political landscape has changed and now Senator Rubio is one of the young political stars for the GOP. Here’s a recent speech he gave at the Reagan Library.
Taste the Savings: It appears that the huge cuts everyone has been boasting about the past few days weren’t all that huge after all (I’m sorry, but shaving $38 billion dollars off a multi-trillion dollar debt is farcical).
“[T]he cuts that actually will make it into law are far tamer, including cuts to earmarks, unspent census money, leftover federal construction funding, and $2.5 billion from the most recent renewal of highway programs that can’t be spent because of restrictions set by other legislation.”
Hot Air has all the details, but I warn you… If you’re depressed about the current fiscal mess news like this isn’t going to make you feel any better. Keep in mind, Democrats are still angry that these cuts are too extreme.
The End is Trump: Some polls are showing that Trump is outpolling people like Huckabee and Romney. This says less about Trump and more about the current GOP field. No sweat though… if Trump doesn’t get the GOP nomination he’ll run as an independent. Is it too late for Charlie Crist to get in the race?
We’re on the Road to Nowhere: You really can’t make this stuff up. During Charlie Crist’s nonsensical run for Senate in Florida his campaign used Talking Heads’ song Road to Nowhere without the permission of David Byrne. Well, it’s all settled now. Part of the settlement is this glorious apology by Crist posted on YouTube for the win!
How awesome is that that Crist used the song Road to Nowhere? Is there any better song that represents his political prospects?
It's better to burn out than fade away... sometimes.
Yesterday at Columbia University there was an event called No Labels that is supposed to give a voice to moderates, or something. In 2008, the AARP trotted out the Divided We Fail marketing campaign that is strikingly similar to No Labels. When ObamaCare rolled around the AARP doubled down on being divided and endorsed the most divisive legislation in decades.
Labels are fine. In fact, many of the people that attended the event were using them at the the event. Bunny Davis of Tucson warned about those “extremists” taking over Arizona. Davis doesn’t want to be labeled, but it’s okay to label others. Has any political movement ever amounted to anything that didn’t have a cause or a label? If you don’t stand for anything who cares what you think? The nation is polarized, but the idea that things are less civil is preposterous.
Washington does not have a “civility problem.” It has a polarization problem. Politicians aren’t any meaner now than they were 30 years ago. It’s just that over the last few decades, the two parties have become more ideologically coherent. Back in the 1950s, some Southern Democrats opposed racial integration, and some Republicans in the North favored a robust social safety net.
It was nice to see Governor Charlie Crist attending the events. Here’s a guy who has worn as many labels he can find. Now he’s trying to cast himself as above labels. Crist’s political journey over the last 18 months is one of legend. The reason Crist’s political career is over is because he represents what people don’t like… politicians. It’s not the labels, Crist. It’s the fact you will say or do anything to advance your career. Here’s a concept: stand for something!
There's nothing happy in San Francisco
With the nation mired in a bad recession, high unemployment and a government spending us into the poor house it’s always nice to reflect on the real problems of America. By real problems, I mean pointless stuff that people find concerning.
Pardoning Jim Morrison: Jim Morrison died in 1971, but Florida Governor Charlie Crist is thinking about pardoning the rock star for a lewd incident that took place in Miami back in the sixties. When asked about the potential pardon Governor Crist said, “Anything is possible.” When Charlie Crist says “anything is possible” he probably means it.
The Walking Nude: At Caspersen Beach in Venice, Florida a woman is up in arms about a nude beach. Evidently, this remote area has long been a gathering place for the “nude community,” but it looks like they’ve crossed paths with the wrong woman.
Elsa Dempsey has seen a penis and she will never be the same. One day while taking a walk down a remote area of Venice, Florida’s Caspersen Beach she encountered a man swimming in the water completely nude. She was so startled by the site of a stranger’s junk she’s now embarked on a one-woman campaign to crack down on naturists gathering sans clothes near the sand. She even has flyers! Meanwhile, all the nudists want is a small sliver of designated sand like Miami’s Haulover to let it all hang out.
I have to wonder if Elsa Dempsey is truly disturbed or if she’s just into seeing naked people. I mean if she’s really so bothered by it why is she confronting them?
The Crying Game: In San Francisco it’s usually everything goes. The city is known for its liberal tolerance of every behavior, except eating the famous McDonalds’ Happy Meal. The nanny state fascists disguised and well intentioned lawmakers have passed a law banning Happy Meals… for the children. You can abort as many kids you want in the city of San Francisco but by God don’t feed one a Happy Meal. The new law has been applauded throughout the United States by brainless morons who believe it’s the government’s job to decide what fast food restaurants serve. When I was a kid my parents wouldn’t let me eat at McDonald’s. Who needs parents if you have the state to take care of you?
Food for thought. Would the city of San Francisco be more tolerant of Happy Meals if McDonald’s renamed them something more progressive? Something like “Gay Meals?”
A quick followup on yesterday’s post about Charlie Crist… Hot Air has a link to a great re-imagining of Crist’s first campaign ad. This version is the more honest message:
Charlie Crist’s political career is soon coming to an end. It’s really a beautiful thing. Governor Crist’s biggest accomplishment while in office was endorsing Senator McCain before the Florida primary. Before the endorsement McCain was losing to Mitt Romney. Fast forward two short years and Crist has abandoned his party and common sense. Now he’s a candidate without a constituency.
Here’s his latest campaign ad:
Amazing stuff. Shouldn’t he be working for Floridians? I’m nitpicking, but what does this man believe in? What are his core beliefs? I’ll tell you… it’s advancing his political career. Charlie “the Ego” Crist, your life in public service is almost over.
Most Ethical Congress Watch: It seems like a million years ago, but in November 2006, Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats captured the majority in Congress. At the time the newly crowned Speaker of the House talked a big game.
“The American people voted to restore integrity and honesty in Washington, D.C., and the Democrats intend to lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history,” Pelosi said. She added, “And nowhere did the American people make it more clear that we need a new direction than in the war in Iraq. ‘Stay the course’ has not made our country safer, has not honored our commitment to our troops and has not made the region more stable. We cannot continue down this catastrophic path.” She called on the Bush administration to work with Democrats “to find a solution to the war in Iraq.”
I remember shortly after the Democrats took over the Congress that we immediately pulled out of Iraq. Well, I guess it didn’t quite turn out like that. The Democrats messed up that whole ethics thing as well. Charles Rangel joins the ranks of politicians caught up in ethics charges. This is hardly newsworthy. Corrupt politicians are a dime a dozen, but when you promise to “lead the most honest, most open and most ethical Congress in history” and fail catastrophically, it has to be pointed out. And what happened to transparency? Everyone loves to hear that we’ll find out what’s in a bill after it’s been passed. That’s comforting! Why would anyone be cynical about politics?
Most Biased Is? Big Journalism has completed the Top Ten Most Left-Biased American Journalists and the winner is Helen Thomas. I don’t know. Helen Thomas hasn’t been relevant since Antoninus Pius was a Roman emperor. Oh yeah, she didn’t like the Jews back then either; however, it was a lot more acceptable back then. What is truth?
Ego Watch: A recent Rasmussen poll shows Charlie “The Ego” Crist trails Marco Rubio in the Senate race. I point this out because I really don’t like Crist. I would rather have Lindsay Lohan as my senator than Charlie Crist. She would be an awesome Senator and far more ethical than most of the yahoos currently sitting in that august body.
Wal-Mart Deserves Nobel Prize: That’s what Mark J. Perry says and who can blame him? Perry links to an article that explains how apparel jobs created by Wal-Mart in Bangladesh appear to bolster school enrollments of girls, especially for young girls. Wal-Mart should be praised for how they’ve reduced poverty worldwide; however, progressives like IKEA and Target better because…. I’m not sure, but I think it has something to do with doing what everyone else is doing. Progressives are very susceptible to peer pressure. Winning the Nobel Prize is no big deal anyway since it’s been reduced to an honorary award given to failed presidents and terrorists.
Climate Bill Dead? Never underestimate the Democrats’ ability to pass unpopular legislation, but it looks like the climate change bill is dead. Score one for the Republic. The bill accomplishes nothing except to make the price of goods increase and make some hippies feel better about themselves, which is really what it’s all about. Imagine all the people, and so on and so forth.
Editorial Note: My annual trip to Priest Lake in my own private Idaho starts on Saturday, so I’ll be gone until August 2. Club Soda is going to be busy as well, so that means no posts for a week, unless Club Soda is struck with divine inspiration. I know… How will you survive? I don’t know. Read a book, play an instrument, or dream of Lindsay Lohan’s first day of freedom. I shall do the latter, but don’t tell my wife.
Charlie Crist, we love you because you represent everything we hate about politicians. Your political career isn’t about the people, it’s about you and your enormous ego. You’re not a Democrat, you’re not a Republican, and you’re certainly not an Independent. You should start the Crist Party. No one would be invited and no one would mind.
It's better to burn out than fade away... sometimes.
I don’t like Governor Charlie Crist. He represents the worst thing about Republicans. Crist is not interested in taking a principled stand on any issue. He would rather do whatever it takes to remain popular to advance his political career. Unless there’s some kind of political upheaval in the next few weeks Crist’s political career is over.
It should also be noted that Crist helped McCain get the GOP nomination. In the 2008 Florida Primary, Crist’s endorsement helped push McCain past Romney. At the time that was Crist’s high water mark for political relevence. Now he’s being bashed by everyone, even George Will. Will has an op-ed in The Washington Post discussing how rare it is to find a politician who is honest about our entitlement crisis. Governor Crist is cited as an example.
A recent debate on “Fox News Sunday” illustrated the differences between the few politicians who are, and the many who are not, willing to face facts. Marco Rubio, the former speaker of Florida’s House of Representatives who is challenging Gov. Charles Crist for the Republican U.S. Senate nomination, made news by stating the obvious.
Asked how the nation might address the projected $17.5 trillion in unfunded Social Security liabilities, Rubio said that we should consider two changes for people 10 or more years from retirement. One would raise the retirement age. The other would alter the calculation of benefits: Indexing them to inflation rather than wage increases would substantially reduce the system’s unfunded liabilities.
Neither idea startles any serious person. But Crist, with the reflex of the unreflective, rejected both and said that he would fix Social Security by eliminating “waste” and “fraud,” of which there is little. The system’s problems are the result not of incompetent administration but of improvident promises made by Congress.
Synthetic indignation being the first refuge of political featherweights, Crist’s campaign announced that he believes Rubio’s suggestions are “cruel, unusual and unfair to seniors living on a fixed income.” They are indeed unusual, because flinching from the facts of the coming entitlements crisis is the default position of all but a responsible few, such as Wisconsin’s Rep. Paul Ryan, who has endorsed Rubio. What is ultimately cruel is Crist’s unserious pretense that America faces only palatable choices and that improvident promises can be fully funded with money currently lost to waste and fraud.
There’s not much to add to Will’s point. Crist’s rhetoric and other politicians who mimic it are a disgrace. The nation has no hope of tackling difficult issues as long as there are politicians like Crist around. I’m not sure Rubio will be any better, but it’s difficult to believe he’s worse than Crist. I expect this stuff from all politicians (especially Democrats), but if the Republicans ever want to be considered a serious alternative this stuff has to end.
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