Wednesday, January 19, 2011
Mitt Romney Irks Iowa Operatives
But he won't ignore Iowa, he just can't. As Romney himself said in 2008:
"If you can't compete in the heartland, if you can't compete in Iowa in August, how are you going to compete in January when the caucuses are held?" Romney said in a typical exchange on Fox News after winning the Ames Straw Poll in August of 2007. "And then how are you going to compete in November of '08?"
Kind of hard to walk that back, don't you think? Well, the same holds true now. Romney was derailed by his second place finish in Iowa last time, and he has been there only twice since. That's not going to help things. Now, he even has old aides criticizing him for ignoring Iowa. Romney has to be careful. Huckabee will enter having won Iowa last time. Sarah Palin and Haley Barbour are both solid candidates for Iowa. Tim Pawlenty is working hard in his neighboring state. Romney needs to at least exceed expectations in Iowa. He's not off to a fast start to do so.
They Must Be So Proud....
This vote is a joke. This "bill" is a joke that will not ever even reach the floor of the U.S. Senate. Majority Leader Eric Cantor is complaining about Senate Democrats "blocking a vote" on this bill, after watching the GOP block lots of votes the last two years. I find it amusing that this vote isn't even grabbing the headlines on a day when Senators are retiring and announcing re-election plans, and in fact, the President's meetings with the Chinese President is dominating the headlines. Everyone knows this bill is dead, was pointless, and was little more than a payout to their base.
I'm sure they're proud in Speaker Boehner's office. I'm sure they're proud in Majority Leader Cantor's office. Most of the country either liked this bill, or thought it didn't go far enough. They said "Repeal and Replace." If the House GOP was serious about that, and wants today's vote to be remembered as a serious vote, they now must show what "replace" means. If it's simply "medical malpractice reform, allowing people to cross state lines to buy care, and health savings accounts," they are unlikely to be taken serious. We've heard these ideas before, some of them work decently, others have serious question marks.
I have a hope in this though. I actually hope the GOP lead House makes some serious proposals. The things above could possibly be worked, with some serious compromise. There are things to fix in the original bill. There's lots of possibilities here. I don't believe John Boehner's House will do anything serious about Health Care Reform. I hope they do.
Ah, The Clintons....
Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy
Ah yes, never the dull ones, are they? Bill and Hillary Clinton are in the news, and very much so. First off, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton hasn't committed to serving a second term in the Obama Administration, which makes a lot of sense (since the President has to select you, and get re-elected before that can happen). Of course, this has set off a wild set of assertions that she's angling for the Vice-Presidency, or that she will leave to begin running for President of the United States. First off, she can't "commit" to something she has to be picked for. Second off, not many Secretaries of State last two terms. Third, she has said she wants to go back to private life- I don't really believe her. But if she is going to run for President in 2016, she will need to exit the Administration, as Foggy Bottom is no place to run for President. This is a non-story, and people need to stop sitting around forecasting her next move. If Hillary Clinton really has any desire to be President, she will run in 2016, at the age of 69, and will immediately be a front-runner for the Democratic Nomination, and possibly period. If she doesn't, not much is going to change her mind. Even if she leaves in 2013 from the administration, that won't tell us anything.
The second piece of Clinton news is way more fun, and not nearly as serious. At tonight's State Dinner, both of the Clinton's will be in attendance to honor the Chinese President. All guests are listed and announced for these events. So, how do you list them? Secretary Clinton is there as an official of the government, so does the Former President get dubbed as "just the date?" Or, since he had the higher title, is one of your most senior cabinet officials "just the date?" Apparently, the White House decided to just list them separate. I guess that solves that.
Enough Already, Please?
Did you see Eliot Spitzer's statement on the Tucson shooting? How about Snooki's? Probably not. I bet you saw Sarah Palin's though. She may be less popular than George W. Bush, but yet she's the second most covered politician in the country right now, even though she has absolutely no position. Some people are starting to feel like me: why is she getting coverage?Let's be clear, Sarah Palin is little more than a diva at this point. She is not in office, any office. She is not a candidate for an office, any office. She's just there. I do believe she will run in 2012 now, in fact I am convinced. You don't put out statements on national tragedies because you aren't running. She will run, she will matter, and she might even win the GOP Nomination (not the election). So make her do it.
Let's be clear, activists run the Iowa Caucuses. Conservative activists like this woman. She certainly has a chance there. She has a chance in South Carolina too, conservative candidates do win there. So this is not me saying Sarah Palin is irrelevant. She's not. In fact, if I may, I hope she's the GOP nominee (She'd lose). She matters, but how much?
TV shows, wall to wall coverage, stacks of money- all that for a former half-term Governor. She gets more free coverage than anyone in American politics today. It's time to stop it. If she wants cameras to follow her, it's time for her to run for President. Get in the race, or get off of my TV.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)