It’s time to reform the primary process. I don’t understand why Iowa and New Hampshire should remain as the two states where people vote in the primaries first. Iowa is a pork state. It’s the home of Senator Tom Harkin. Need I say more? New Hampshire isn’t much better. It’s a small New England state that’s not exactly representative of mainstream conservative thought. Why does the GOP care what the voters of New Hampshire think about picking a nominee? The fact that the RNC wants to maintain the status quo is a great example of how the GOP establishment fears the conservative wing of the party. Florida is attempting to move its primary up to January 31, 2012, and that’s causing a gnashing of teeth at the RNC.
Florida’s move would directly violate RNC rules that forbid any state other than the first four “carve-out” states — Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina — from holding a primary before March 6.
States that ignore the RNC rules are subject to losing half of their delegates — party representatives who ultimately choose the nominee — to the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida, next August.
Ask Hillary Clinton how important the state of Florida is to getting the nomination. Clinton won the state in 2008, but the DNC didn’t recognize the delegates because the state moved up its primary. One solution would be to hold a national primary. The only problem with that idea is that the benefit of a staggered primary system is the process. It’s a good way to determine which candidate has the stamina and organization for the general election. I wouldn’t mind a four-stage process where you break the primaries into four elections. It would allow the candidates the ability to visit the states in play and it would end this ridiculous Iowa/New Hampshire courtship.
Creating a system like I’ve described isn’t likely because each state controls when their primary is set. The RNC/DNC should just get out of the way. If Florida wants to move up its primary so bit it. The state of Florida is a much more pivotal state in the general election than Iowa or New Hampshire. In a four-stage primary, both small and large states would be represented in each primary election. It’s so logical that there’s no way either party will accept it. The fact that the DNC and RNC both act like the BCS tells you a lot about how they govern after the general election… like asses and pachyderms.
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.
Last year a Florida preacher no one had ever heard of decided he would make world headlines by burning the handbook of female oppression and religious intolerance (also known as the Quran or Koran). In the end he didn’t go through with it, but apparently another preacher at his congregation set the Quran ablaze a few days ago. The response from peace loving Muslims in Afghanistan has been predictable: Burn effigies of our President and kill innocent civilians.
Obviously some Muslims find burning the how-to-book-of-jihad offensive, but as I wrote in September that’s not all they find offensive.
Guess what else is offensive to Muslims… The Gospel of Jesus Christ, for one, but also women, freedom, Jews, drawings, thinking, the United States, gays, alcohol and pork chops. Should we stop all these things as well so as not to “offend” anyone? How about we stop people from burning Qurans after infidels are granted full freedom to practice their religion, including proselytizing, in Muslim nations?
One of the most annoying things about the Bush administration was the idea that these crazy people would somehow be changed by freedom. To be changed by freedom a culture has to first be willing to be free. Let’s face it, many of these cultures in Asia are stuck in the middle ages. We’ll have better luck giving them free basic cable and forcing them to watch reality TV for a decade. Unfortunately, the Real Housewives of Jalalabad doesn’t make for compelling television.
Do you want to know the real reason the Egyptians built the Pyramids? It’s because they didn’t have the technology to build high speed rail. Let’s face it, high speed rail is a waste of time. The people who believe in it exaggerate the usefulness and underestimate the costs. Florida Governor Rick Scott torpedoed the ludicrous Tampa to Orlando high speed rail plan and he has good reasons.
The Sarasota Herald Tribune refused to print Scott’s justification, but they published Sean Snaith’s op-ed endorsing the plan. Snaith must have been taught economics in a cave because his justification rings hollow. Governor Scott’s press release sheds some light on the subject.
- The truth is that this project would be far too costly to taxpayers and I believe the risk far outweighs the benefits.
- Historical data shows capital cost overruns are pervasive in 9 out of 10 high speed rail projects and that 2/3 of those projects inflated ridership projections by an average of 65 percent of actual patronage.
- It is projected that 3.07 million people will use the train annually. Keep in mind that Amtrak’s Acela train in Washington, D.C., Boston, Philadelphia, New York and Baltimore only had 3.2 million riders in 2010. And that market’s population is 8 times the size of the Tampa/Orlando market.
The fact that high speed rail is a bad idea is well documented. Unfortunately, the brain-dead masses will be disappointed. The Utopian choo choo train is a progressive’s dream come true. “But it creates jobs!!” some will say. So what? If creating jobs is the only basis for determining whether or not to spend billions of dollars why not just build a huge pyramid in Sarasota? Or, a gigantic indoor ski resort in Houston, Texas (that’s Club Soda’s Utopian dream to keep all the Texans away from Colorado at Spring Break, though he justifies it by claiming it will create jobs).
One could argue that the Pyramids in Egypt are far more useful than high speed rail would be in the United States. Let’s build a 300-story pyramid made out of granite. People will travel from all over the world to see it. It will be a boon for tourism. Plus, think of all the jobs we’ll create making it and after it’s finished there’s no upkeep. Hell. Charlie Crist could live there, keep the place tidy and be a tour guide. The government won’t have to subsidize it after its completion.
That’s the dirty little secret about high speed rail. It’s the classic Field of Dreams economics in action: Build it and they will come. Except that no one does. Sean Snaith wasn’t taught economics in a cave. He learned from Kevin Costner. What happens when there aren’t enough people riding on the rail? You guessed it! Taxpayers subsidize it! If we’re going to build something completely pointless at least build something that people want to see.
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.
Now that LeBron James has left Ohio for the sunny shores of Miami Beach the fallout begins. The city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio are devastated that one of their own has left for greener (sandier) pastures. Should they be surprised? I moved to Sarasota, Florida six years ago and the most common transplant I encounter are people from Ohio. It’s like a mass exodus. Some of my best friends are people who left Ohio to move to the beautiful third-world banana republic village of Sarasota. Who can blame them? Would you rather go to Siesta Key or Dayton? It’s a no brainer. You never hear anyone say, “Wow! Cleveland is such a great place!”
I don’t want to rag on Cleveland, though I kinda just did (I forgot to mention Dennis Kucinich is a former mayor of Cleveland). I’m sure there are some great places there and I’m sure some people love the city. It’s obvious, though, that not everyone feels the same way. However, before anyone says what’s-his-face betrayed his hometown, what about all the people from Ohio that live in Florida? They still get excited about the Ohio State Buckeyes every time they get crushed by an SEC opponent in a bowl game. Are these transplants betraying their state by moving? If Ohio is so great why do people keep moving here? Maybe these people like the fact they don’t have to pay state income tax. Maybe it’s because it doesn’t snow here. Maybe Ohio just isn’t as nice as Florida.
Florida billionaire Jeff Greene is running for Senate. The Harvard graduate wants to run as an average man. He claims to be an independent thinker. The only thing he’s accomplished so far is a drinking game. Drink every time Green says “career politician” or “outsider” in the video below:
In order to learn more about Jeff Greene I went to his website. His seven-minute video literally says nothing about what he wants to do. Greene’s facts page is hilarious. On the facts page we learn that Mike Tyson was the best man at his wedding. Yes, that Mike Tyson. In the next paragraph we learn that Greene had a relationship with Heidi Fleiss,
What was your relationship with Heidi Fleiss? Did she really live with you?
After Ms. Fleiss was a victim herself of domestic violence, she came to me and asked if she could stay in an extra guest room in a house I owned. Of course, I allowed her to stay. Subsequently, she rented some commercial space from a company in which I was involved for a retail store. As I have said before, I believe in redemption, I try to help people when they are down, and I haven’t lived my life looking over my shoulder in case I run for office some day.
I guess that clears that one up. So far I think Greene would fit pretty well in Washington. I scoured the site and there’s literally nothing of value to read. Ten minutes ago I didn’t know anything about the candidate other than he has a goofy looking commercial. Thanks to Greene’s website I now know he’s probably unfit to serve as Florida’s official dog catcher. Wait… Greene has a plan for the economy!
Our economy needs a bold, diverse set of policies that stimulate the economy, encourage hiring, facilitate small business growth and development, and strengthen the entrepreneurial spirit that has made this country great and made us a beacon for the world.
What is it you ask? What is the plan of this independent thinker? He wants to spend more money on research and infrastructure. Plus, he wants to extend unemployment benefits even further than two years. These aren’t independent ideas. This is the platform of the Democratic party. The United States is so awesome even someone like Jeff Greene, who has no understanding of economics or even prostitution, can make it in this country. Please stick to real estate, Mr. Greene.
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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