Indianapolis, IN–I’m still at Indy.
[1]At Indianapolis this morning, all ready to go, and looking good.
When I got done writing yesterday’s Ramble, I did my usual pre-trip inspection of my truck and found that I had oil coming from one wheel seal. This is a possibly dangerous situation, with fire or possibly a lack of braking power being the upshot. At the very least it would fail a DOT inspection. So I had to get the thing fixed. Took most of te day to get the thing in. Turned out to be a 79 cent gasket. For this, I lost a full day… some 500 miles of driving. Annoying, but that’s the nature of this game. Since I had oil down the side of the truck and on the wheel particularly, I washed the truck. I’m glad I did because the combo of my truck and the new trailer I just picked up, looks super….. (grin) Today I’m grabbing a load here in Indy, and I’m off to Williamson, NY, to arrive there sometime tomorrow.
- Beck, etc:Let me preface my comments here by saying I’m not convinced of Newt Gingrich being the answer to the question of the next election. That said, I am convinced Mitt Romney is not the best answer that question. I consider that Romney lost to McCain because as weak a conservative as McCain is, Romney’s record shows him to come down on the left of McCain on most issues, and is thereby more likely to lose the election…. And even if he wins the election the benefits of Romney winning are as close to naught as no matter.To the main issue:
There is much to be said for Glenn Beck and his efforts. He’s been a stalwart among conservatives for some time, now, and for a time, he has shone above the majority of conservative voices. His efforts to connect the dots in our recent history and tracing the progressive movement and it’s threats to our nation and our culture are spot on. As with anyone else, when they’re right, I’ll say so…. And his record is one of being correct in the vast majority of what he says.But, not now, and I’m troubled by what I see.
[2]Glenn Beck
I find Beck’s on -air reactions to Gingrich suspect at best, given his support of Romney, whose liberal record I find inexcusable. Such comments make the question of “what s Beck about” unfathomable, or at least nearly so.
Calling Gingrich a progressive, given Romney’s liberal legislating, and Gingrich’s conservative legislative record, is bad enough, and certainly shows a willingness to stretch the truth…. But, his pulling the race card out of the deck the other day, as always with those using that crutch, to my mind, shows he’s holding a position which is in search of a reasonable supporting argument. He really has no other arguments against Gingrich, and for Romney. That’s troubling on several levels.
First to equate Gingrich and his record, to Obama with his, is laughable right at the off. The real history of the thing is that in terms of actual law, and actions while a part of the government, Gingrich comes down to the right of most of the Republican party, much less Obama, who is without any question the farthest left president we’ve ever had in our 200+ year history. Rather like comparing a full-size tractor trailer rig to a so-called “smart car”. They both have wheels and can usually run under their own power. Past that….
Secondly, the damage done to the perception of race issues among the voting public, done by the misuse of that” we’re only voting against Obama because we’re all racists” meme plays right into the hands of the real racists the Jacksons and Sharptons of the world, along with the whole of the left. That argument will play better for Obama, than for Romney. Stink Progress [3] is already trumpeting this Beck quote as backing their longtime assertion that the Tea Party is racist. The Atlantic, too. [4] Beck ought to know better.
Thirdly,Gingrich’s legislative record certainly comes down to the right of Romney, which is what mystifies me… Why Beck would lie about that, strikes me as an open question, for lie it is. I begin to understand Andy Breitbart’s anger, here.
Oh, and Glenn? I know you’re reading, me hearty… site tracking is a wonderful thing…. you might want to check into this quote [5] from Romney himself where he calls himself and his views “progressive”.
One possible answer to this question of how Beck landed in this quagmire, is Beck’s connections with Heritage, who has made no bones about the idea that Romney is their guy. You may recall Heritage is the group that thought Romneycare was just the thing back when Hillarycare came up. Instead of arguing on the moral and principled ground that healthcare was beyond government’s purview, they opted for the limp-spined centrist approach of coming up with their own government run plan, with the aid of Romney. When a government boot is on your throat, it hardly matters, you see, which party the boot belongs to. I tell you this; If that connection to Heritage is what’s driving this disconnect, Beck and his people have tainted themselves beyond my ability to measure. This is disappointing, at least. And further, it raises questions about Limbaugh who is similarly connected.
- Lessons: Over at the NY Post, [6] we find….
[7]On New Year’s Day, in addition to a hangover, America will wake up in the pale winter light to one grim consequence of the Bush administration’s never-requited desire to be loved by the left: the traditional 100-watt light bulb will be banned for sale in the United States.At the height of the panic over “man-caused global warming” (one of history’s greatest frauds), lawmakers felt compelled to be seen to do something, and Edison’s bright bulb made a handy fall guy.Look again, where it says…..”To be loved by the left.” That lesson.. that the left will never love us… was never learned by Bush, … either one…. nor even to this day by the GOP leadership. There’s a willingness on the part of the GOP leadership to sell the soul of the party, in a vain attempt to get the left to love the GOP. W hich is precisely why the establishment GOP is so fond of centrists like McCain and Romney… and yes, Bush….(either one) and why, as I keep having to remind folks, the GOP leadership wasn’t too fond of Reagan. (I point once again to the 76 convention)
There is no reason to think that the left will ever love conservatism. We don’t need the left’s love, people. We need their defeat. Reagan showed us the way on that. Be conservative, and unashamedly so. That’s what wins elections for Repulicans. The mealy mouthed centrism that the GOP establishment is pushing, in the form of Bush, Dole, Bush, McCain and now Romney is how Republicans lose elections. It’s that simple. And they’re not getting the message.
- Oh… and about Newt: Roger Simon says it well: [8]
“Sure Gingrich has an idea a minute, many of which are bad, but at least he has ideas. At least he is thinking. And — guess what — he says what he thinks. Politicians aren’t supposed to do that. But Gingrich reminds me more of a Steve Jobs or a Richard Branson than he does of a politician, and that is a good thing because politicians these days are the kind of people that make me want to bang my forehead against the desk.”
Whereas for my money, Romney is a game show host. (Nod to Sting)
- ObamaCare is Cement Shoes for Obama’s re-election: If you have any doubts that Obama will not be re-elected, consdier these numbers from Scott Rasmussen [9].