What Can We Do?

A Tea Party conservative friend recently asked me what he could do to help prevent the decline of the country. A heavy burden! A few observations and prescriptions:

As for the observations:

1. There is some parallel between the Tea Party movement and the Occupy Wall Street movement. We have not recovered financially or emotionally from the collapse of 2008, the slow motion defeat in the Middle East,the decline of the middle class, and the impending end of our brief reign as the world's lone superpower. People on the Left, Right, and Center are dispirited.

2. To the extent that the answers are political, it is essential that we support candidates who can get nominated, can be elected, and will govern well. Two of three is not enough - as many liberals would attest, given the Obama experience.

3. Be strategic and be practical. Politics is the art of the possible.

And the prescriptions:

1. Be informed. If you have limited time, read Red State (particularly for the evaluation of Republican candidates) and Real Clear Politics (for a broad mix of op-eds and polling data.) A broader list of sources is included at the end of this article. In accord with Sun Tzu's admonition to profoundly know your enemy, include some liberal sources. And, of course, read RightinSanFrancisco weekly.

2. Communicate. This takes some sorting out of friends and relatives who would be disinterested or offended and avoidance of business associates. That said, a broadly distributed Facebook page designed to make cogent comments and forward insightful articles can be a great multiplier. (Please "share" RightinSanFrancisco weekly.) Beyond that, talking is good.

3. Join and attend. I view the national Tea Party organizations as transitory and replete with opportunists trying to make a buck off of the movement; but the locals will be highly effective this election cycle. If you haven't been to an event, find one in your area if just for the experience. The best national umbrella organization is Tea Party Patriots; Tea Party Express operates at a national level with bus tours, endorsements, and debate sponsorships. Freedom Works lobbies and trains organizers. Google Tea Party and your locale.

4. Support good candidates. Below the presidential level this gets tricky. Even in the broader Bay Area there are a few worth supporting (Mayor Abram Wilson of San Ramon; Ricky Gill against Congressional incumbent Jerry McNerney of Pleasanton), but this is best played on the margins where one can actually win. Looking more broadly, pick a swing district in the Central Valley or in the Midwest where there is somebody that you like. For one, try Don Stenberg to beat Senator Ben Nelson in Nebraska. Send money.

As for president, just about all conservatives that I know or follow start from the predominant objective of beating President Obama. (Can you even imagine a Democratic campaign chant of "four more years"?) It is possible that Rick Perry will up his game to the point that he thinks and talks nationally and internationally, but to this point he is all about Texas and would be a less formidable candidate against Obama than would Mitt Romney. Other than Romney, I don't think any of the other candidates come close to the three requirements - although, truth be told, Jon Huntsman doesn't look bad on the "beat Obama" and "govern well" criteria.

Think in two phases. In the primaries support the candidate of your choice in your state. In the general election, if your state is not in play either way, support the Republican effort in a swing state. If there is a chance for the Republican candidate to win California, it won't be necessary. But Missouri, Ohio, or Florida ...

Politics is a contact sport. Now, go to work!!!

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This week's video is a 25 minute Q & A by Paul Ryan at the Heritage Foundation, covering a broad range of economic and political questions in an articulate, candid, and philosophical manner. Contributions to Ryan will wind up in the right place.

bill bowen - 10/28/11

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Recommended Web Sites:

Conservative: Red State; The Drudge Report; National Review Online; Townhall; The Weekly Standard

Conservative: The Wall Street Journal

Liberal: The New York Times

Recommended Fact Checkers:

Moderate: FactCheck.org

Liberal: PolitiFact.org;

Recommended Pollsters:

Conservative: Rasmussen

Moderate: Pew Research Center

Liberal: Charlie Cook

Old Media:

Conservative: Greta van Susteren (Fox)

Liberal: Morning Joe (MSNBC)-----

 

 

Comments

[Emil Lawrence]

Emil Lawrence for Mayor

Mayor’s Statement

I am running for San Francisco Mayor because City government is no longer accountable. As a resident of 41 years I have determined that local government needs an adjustment. Our present leaders have lost touch with the residents they serve.
As a US Navy veteran, I have two daughters that were born and raised here. As a veteran my administration will reach out to those that have served. And, I will make City government more transparent.
As Mayor, you will know that I have lived and worked in the City since 1970. And, I did not come into town from Sacramento or Greenbrae, last year. Also, unlike others, I am not connected to the political machine that steam rolled into town with the Interim crew.
As Mayor, I will eliminate 5000 outrageously paid posts and replace them with others. I will, then, hire seniors, veterans, high school and college students, as well as handicapped people at ‘reasonable’ salaries. I will put “City Voters” to work. City voters will know, “I am not like our present crew, but someone just like all of you.”

With this statement, I ask for your vote?

Sincerely,

Emil Lawrence MBA

Now, what I do not understand is this? Why do we have a local Republican Party, if this party endorses all candidates but Republican candidates? Maybe the SFGOP should change its name to Blue Dog Democrats. Has the local San Francisco Republican Party been bought off, or is it on drugs? Three Republican candidates ran in this last Mayoral Election and not one was endorsed by the SFGOP. Which means, they should close their office, now. Because the local GOP did not even look to see if any were running for office. I is the most disgusting thing that I have seen.

I, as a full fledged Republican that has been running for office as Mayor for five months and these people have not attempted to contact me once, twice, three times

[Harrycat]

The thought for the day - Obama/Huntsman.

[Bill McCormick]

Dick G---I have no idea whether the Super Committee will agree on anything or not. However, as much as I agree that the commission is a group of highly partisan Congressional members it could be that if these people can find something to agree on then we have at least a chance that it will pass both Houses of Congress and get the President's signature.

On Cain's situation----I'm not a big Cain fan mostly because he is so weak on foreign policy. And, I am first to admit that I have no way of telling if he actually intended to do anything that was sexually offensive. That being said in this world of litigation, complaints and sensitive people it is virtually impossible for long term managers in corporate America to go through a career and not have to deal with someone who takes issue with their words or policies. Unfortunately, even if the challenges are baseless liability insurance companies would rather settle a grievance than litigate it and there is little one can do about it. Will this end his campaign? Perhaps but his foreign policy inexperience and the simplicity of his 9-9-9 tax plan would have likely ended it eventually. Once again it shows the reason it is so difficult to get good candidates to run for President. Who is clean enough and competant competant enough?

[DickG]

A 'DIM LIGHT' APPEARS: Bloomberg came forth today with the admission that Congressional malfeascance was the primary cause of the '90-08' debaucle. His statement undoubtedly the result of Irskine Bolles' comments to the 'Debt Commission' yesterday. (1)Bolles thinks they will fail. (2) Poor choice of overly partisan members. (3)Affordable (Obamacare)Care Act will be a large drain on the Economy and makes no attempt at real 'cost cutting'. All four members of the Simpson Bolles Commission agreed (2 Dems 2 Repubs).

[Bill McCormick]

Debt is a heavy burden---

What can we do to prevent the decline of the country? Anyone or any company that has been burdened with a lot debt knows that the price of paying it back is pain. Debt is usually money that was spent tax free. Payback includes not only the interest that builds up but the taxes on the money needed for the payback as well. Thus, as we watch banks tightening the reqiremnts on people and companies we are observing a tremendous amount of pain to the country in the form of foreclosures, real estate value declines and lower consumer spending. The result is a painfully slow recession. But, the problem is many of the big problems are yet to come:

1. The government continues to go deeper in debt at the rate of $1,3T a year. Pushing us deeper in the hole. Here is Obama's major weakness--he just doesn't know how to stop buying votes with money.

2. Colleges are increasing tuition far faster than students and parents can pay.Far ahead of inflation. The federal government is paying basically $10,000 a year for students to attend private schools. Then they are supporting nearly $1T of student loans. These loans are putting these students into a hole at 22 that they may never recover from. Without these loans more students would go to community schools, trade schools and work their way through schools. Perhaps private schools are milking the federal grant system.

3. The entitlements programs of the US have to be revised. Deferring this revision is simply passing more of today's seniors bills on to the next generation and piling on debt.

4. The feds are rumored to be considering or perhaps actually in another round of currency printing in order to invigorate the economy. This will be round three of the money printing war between the US and our trading partners. With salaries of working people virtually frozen in America, social security payments frozen for seniors and 10% of America out of work the inflation created by this continuous printing process is killing these people. Food prices and energy prices lead the list.

5. Hidden tax increases at the local level on real estate rates, services, gasoline and energy are also adding tot he inflation costs to both consumers and businesses.

6. Energy penalties and rewards are also adding to the inflation and the debt. Energy increase to utility companies raise the cost of energy. Everyone feels it. The rewards of buying electric cars, solar panels, HVAC systems and weatherizing your home creates tax burdens as well as false markets. These false markets crumble and fail later on slowing our ability to get the economy going.

So, in the end the only thing we can do is vote and get a group of executives and legislators into Congress that will negotiate and come to some solutions even if they don't totally agree. This My way or the Highway approach we have seen has gotten us into a fantasy land that says time will make things better. Ronald Reagan warned of this day. As Europe has proven and America is now feeling the American economy must come first. One cannot fix the problems without strong financial basis. The government cannot make the economy better but it can make it much worse. Senator Reid said the other day that the public sector is ok but the public sector is suffering. 16 Million Americans are out of work--that is hardly ok. In the meantime Evidently, Senator Reid has decided that he will not bring to the floor of the Senate any bill that the Republican led House passes so that the President can continue his campaign against the do nothing Republican Congress. We can all cross our fingers in hopes that the Super Committee will find a way to actually agree on something.

[Harrycat]

While I realize that this is only the nominating season, not the election season, and certainly not the governing season, it would be helpful if the Reps in contention could even try to make the case for a program (any program) that is realistic and feasible. Romney wants to rebuild our military defenses but can't say. Cain wants his 999 plan (oops, sorry - only 99). None of the tax plans make sense even on the surface let along having a chance for enactment.

As Clara Peller said "Where's the beef?".

[DickG]

PRESERVATION OF OUR 'WEALTH': Maybe it's in our Glossary. Certain words used in political controversey are 'triggers'. One primary term that provides a major sticking point is 'spending cuts'. Even this new 'COFFEE PARTY' approaches Bi Partisan discussion by completely disregarding (per Coburn) $100. billion/year in waste fraud and duplicate spending. Lets throw the term 'spending cut' out. Lets use a more descrtiptive one - Wealth Preservation. If one dissents from that ;you feel pretty foolish.

[Harrycat]

Agreed, that trait that we owe to ourselves and to others is to be well informed. Read it all, listen to it all. I disagree that we should be well informed so that we can better attack the "other". None of us is a fully formed individual. No one is the container of all knowledge. Whatever it is that we believe in, we do that thing a disservice by closing our minds to other possibilities.

[DickG]

CLARIFICATION & ARTICULATION, A CLINIC: Candidates should take note of the "speechyfying" of Paul Ryan and Newt Gingrich. Content and 'tone' overiding 'handouts' and vitriol.

[DickG]

SEE WHAT THE 'LEFT' WON'T AND EXPOSE IT: The 'Left' refuse to acknowledge the difference between: SOCIALISTIC Safety Nets and SOCIALISTIC ECONOMIC SOLUTIONS. One provides compassionate security; one provides a formula for disaster. One 'Look' at Detroit does it.