Competence and Trust

    Presidential elections are importantly about policies, but they are also about competence and trust. The shift in this election has occured in large part because the debates have given Mitt Romney an opportunity to demonstrate that he is not the person that hundreds of millions of Democratic dollars tried to paint him to be, but more subliminally the public is seeing the staggering the gap in competence between "The Amateur" president and the "Bain / Massachusetts CEO". Take a few examples:

    -  Financial management. 

            --  Congress gave Obama a $787 billion "Stimulus Plan", much of which went to ideologically-driven long term projects like high speed rail, green energy, and electric cars. Much of the money went to cronies - Solyndra; Tesla; Fisker; many more - and Obama joked that many of the projects turned out to not be "shovel-ready".  Along with Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi he completelly gave up on budgets.

            --  Romney started as a management consultant, made millions successfully running Bain Capital, then saved the 2002 Salt Lake Olympics, before returning to Massachusetts where he closed a $3 billion budget deficit as governor.

    -  Fast and Furious.

            --  Obama and Eric Holder have refused to disclose who approved this "gun-walking" fiasco  which resulted in the death of a border patrol agent and numerous law enforcement personnel in Mexico.

    -  Benghazi.

            --  Hillary Clinton is taking the fall for failing to react to what the Libyan president had called a "state of maximum alert" in the Benghazi area prior to 9/11/12

            --  Obama has blamed the intelligence community for his weeks-long efforts to characterize the attack by al Queda -affiliate Ansar al - Sharia as the spontaneous response to a video.

            -- Secretary of Defense Paneta is emerging as the culprit in refusing to provide available and sought after assistance to those defending the ambassador and the facilities during the seven-hour firefight.    

    -  Bipartisanship.

            --  Obama ignored the recommendations of his Simpson-Bowles Commission, and torpedoed a potential "Grand Bargain" with Speaker Boehner by greatly increasing demands for tax increases after a tentative deal was reached. He rarely meets with leaders of either party.

            --  As governor of Massachusetts Romney met regularly with legislative leaders of both parties, closed a large budget gap, passed healthcare reform, and created a scholarship program for the top quarter of high school graduates.

    Aside from whether the voters want larger or smaller government, a flatter or more graduated tax system, and more liberal or conservative social policies, they need, want, and deserve competence in the White House.   

                                                    -----

    This week we have videos of the competing closing arguments of the intellectually bankrupt Obama campaign and the "Two Clear Paths"  Romney campaign. The momentum continues.

bill bowen - 11/1/12

Comments

[DickG]

ILLEGAL VOTE COULD APPROACH 1,000,000.; from an article in 'The Cutting Edge'by former US Election Commissioner Hans A.Von Spahovsky
(EXERP)
"In 2005, the U.S. Government Accountability Office found that up to 3 percent of the 30,000 individuals called for jury duty from voter registration rolls over a two-year period in just one U.S. district court were not U.S. citizens. While that may not seem like many, just 3 percent of registered voters would have been more than enough to provide the winning presiden­tial vote margin in Florida in 2000 "

The Ny Times estimated 180,000 in Florida when challenging the Republican Candidate. Election officials refuse to pursue the problem

[DickG]

DEMOGRAPHICS CAN DRIVE THE ELECTION;BUT LACK OF 'ILLUMINATION'IS WORSE. Because the Justice Dept. must expose UNION irregularities (a la Robt Kennedy) and The Press must expose Political irregularities (Woodward & Bernstein); the dysfunctional nature of the two, cost the Country a horrible result.

[Bill McCormick]

A TURNING POINT FOR AMERICA__MY VIEW

For some of us last night was very disappointing. For others a reason to celebrate. I congratulate the Democrats who won. I only hope we will get some leadership and some compromises to solve the nation’s problems. America is fast becoming a nation of minorities and the agenda for politicians is changing. We have almost reached the crossing point that most of us have long known was coming: the day the minority groups in the country out number the white majority. This year we passed one milestone: the number of minority children under the age of 1 compose 51% of the nation’s babies in that age group. This election polarized minority and whites alike. 95% of Blacks voted Democratic. 70% of Hispanics voted Democratic. And, 72% of whites voted Republican. The strategy of class warfare, an economic term for race warfare, won out. It only took 28% of the white population to join forces with the minority voters to carry the election. Had 75% of the whites voted Republican then Romney would be President. This is classic big city, Chicago style, politics where Democrats have used a solid block of black voters and union controls to control inner city political machines for more than 40 years. Now they use it to control states with huge electoral votes such as Illinois,California,New Jersey and New York (118 electoral votes) to give Republicans an up hill battle to win requiring them to basically sweep the middle of the country . As more and more Hispanics are born and leaked into the country the strategy is beginning to allow Democrats to take control of states like Colorado and New Mexico cutting into the Republican strongholds. Some refer to it as invasion by immigration (illegal). What are the key factors for white voters voting Democratic? First public unions are motivated to vote Democratic and split 66% for Obama in Wisconsin for example. So public and private union white workers make up a lot of those
who vote Democratic. The Jewish population is the other major factor. There are 6.5 million Jewish people in the US. Most live in New York and California. But, the third largest group of Jewish voters live in Florida a key battle ground state where they voted 69% for Obama. That was 1.5% of the Florida vote. Jewish voters also were a key factor in Ohio. The income redistribution, tax the rich, fair share, pro union attention combined with the anti Bain capitalist messages kept the base energized mostly out of a feeling that the whites have it all and brought out the vote to offset the energy Romney generated.

So, in the short term if Republicans are ever going to win a national election again (and I have my doubts) they are going to have to work on their relations with the Unions and the Jewish voters. Both of those are highly unlikely unless Obama let’s Israel be attacked. Republicans have a strong base in small business and that is hard to combine with labor unions. But, Republicans could get on board education and public safety and perhaps make gains with teachers,police and firefighters public unions. Their best bet is to work on a solution to the immigration problem and split the Hispanic vote especially as more and more Hispanics become small business owners. They can also work to court the Asian community of 18 Million and fast growing. They are going to have to come to grips with women’s rights issues and begin to appeal to the young Hispanic population.

Long term the Republicans should join forces with the independents to form a new more inclusive party. If they can split the independents their way by working on long term solutions to America’s problems through the states then they have a chance to stop the rapid growth of the Democratic party. Many independents are more liberal than moderate however and that means the far right (that will now blame this loss on the party for going moderate) will have to adjust to a more moderate approach to appeal to public unions and Hispanics. Republicans either adapt or fade into a minority dominated party by a socialistic Democratic alliance of minorities.

A third party consisting of moderate Republicans, conservative Democrats and Hispanics could work but would take a lot of money and a great set of leaders to pull together. Not likely.

In the meantime I will work to find a way to survive in this new world for the time I have left here and hope our children and grand children can all get government jobs.

[DickG]

SAD IRONY; Polling question on 'PRIORITIES' in heavily won Obama States was supposedly the 'DEBT & DEFICIT'. Both priorities the Candidate was unable and unwilling to solve. "HELlooooooooo"
NOTICE TO US REFUGEES: Last Quantas Flight leaving the coast at midnight.

[DickG]

HOLDER'S FAILURE 4 YEARS AGO, is magnified in places like Houston and Philadelphia voting centers. NAACP took over Houston and the 'Panthers' took over Philadelphia Voting Center. This time the opposition's 'monitors' were physically removed.
Recalling Holder's words from '08: "insufficient 'grounds' to be charged". And today perhaps;"simply accommodating their candidates' supporters".

[Bill McCormick]

HMMMM VIRGINIA----I've been voting at the same poll for 18 years. It has never taken me more than 10 minutes. Today I waited 50 minutes to vote. The parking lot was over flowing. So, based on this turnout I am HMMMM---predicting:

1. That Obama got his base out and a nail biter or

2. A landslide for Romney bigger than 2010.

The great part about America is that Faye, my liberal Democratic neighbor, and I hugged and laughed as we cancelled each other's vote. She offered me an Obama button as I left the poll which I turned down explaining I needed one with an "X" in it. We can disagree but we are all Americans.

[DickG]

'AFR AMRCN MOTHER', phoned into W-O-R-D Radio Greenville this AM. She wanted people to know she was taking her two boys into the 'booth' with her to show them that choices must be made for competency and the Country and not 'race'. She said she voted Romney. "BRAVO"
PS; Michael Barone, from Wash Examiner, sites The Early Vote Exit Polls as showing Romney +7. Voter turnout in S.C. is tremendous. Parking lots are full and streets lined on both sides. Some 'lines' extend for blocks. This can't be in support of a failing President.

[Bill McCormick]

A THOUGHT---

It's a lot easier to motivate people to go out because they want to than it is to motivate people to go out because you want them to. My guess is the surge we are seeing in the voting lines is similar to 2010--those who want to be out there. And who were those? See you in line!

OR IS IT A HOPE? We shall see.

[Bill McCormick]

SANDY and CHRISTIE--- according to the media SANDY cost Romney the election by allowing the President to show his true leadership potential and to allow him to gain the endorsement of Gov Christie. A 4% surge in the polls in the days prior to SANDY and Christie's emotional thank you to the President has all been erased according to Biden and the media. Last night Fox had all but pinned Romney's possible loss on Christie. Christie did whimpishly come to the podium and reaffirm his support for Romney but also his thanks to Obama.

CLINTON's RESCUE---Interestingly though Clinton has 4 stops in Pennsylvania today after yesterday's blitz in Minnesota. The President will hit Wisconsin today. With his campaign leader claiming Romney has no shot in Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Ohio, Virginia or Florida it seems ironic that Clinton was given the task of shoring up the base out there. I have to say that in the last 7 days I have seen a huge surge in Romney signs in yards in Virgina--whatever that means. Based on yesterday's early vote turnout mess in Florida it appears there is going to be a huge turnout for this election--we'll just have to see who it favors in the long run.

The latest claim by Democrats is that they will win a huge victory (330+) in the electoral college even though they may even lose the popular vote--as a result of NJ and NY residents being unable to reach the polls. Given the huge margin the Dems have in NY,NJ,Illinois and California--that would seem to be an unlikely outcome.

ME--the one thing I know for certain is that I know several people who have rarely voted in past elections and they are all coming out this time--and I do not know one coming out to reward the job Obama has done. And, I know a lot of people reversing their 2008 vote. They are coming out to replace the empty chair. It will be an interesting night in American history.

[Bill McCormick]

ALABAMA and TEXAS utility workers---I also heard from a friend from REC in Virginia who went to NJ to help with the power lines that the nonunion Alabama workers were turned back. What an insult to the generous people of America that is. I wonder what the people without power and gas and homes in the damaged area think of that? I bet they didn't turn away the nonunion National Guard and US Military.