Unconventional Wisdom

Archive for the ‘politics’ Category

Feds should bailout states, cities, and counties…

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[VIDEO] Says Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. Below is the description of the video via rebelpundit:

Jesse Jackson Jr. (D-IL) addresses Occupy the Dream at The People’s Church in Chicago. 1/15/2012. Jackson proposes trillions of new spending, the federal government hiring 15 million people directly at $40,000 for infrastructure. Jackson remarks “for a mere $900 billion” we can get our country working again.

Hat-tip Gateway Pundit!

Written by Levois

January 17th, 2012 at 8:44 pm

Posted in Congress,politics

The spectre of 1932…

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How a loss of faith in politicians and democracy could make 2012 the most frightening year in living memory

I saw this Daily Mail article courtesy of Instapundit. Ouch to those running for President in the Republican primaries next year. It’s almost very pessimistic:

Sadly, there seems little point in looking across the Atlantic for inspiration. In 1932, President Herbert Hoover, beleaguered by rising unemployment and tumbling ratings, flailed and floundered towards election defeat.

Today, Barack Obama cuts a similarly impotent, indecisive and isolationist figure. The difference is that in 1932, one of the greatest statesmen of the century, the Democratic politician Franklin D. Roosevelt, was waiting in the wings.

Today, American voters looking for alternatives are confronted only with a bizarre gaggle of has-beens, inadequates and weirdos, otherwise known as the Republican presidential field. And to anybody who cares about the future of the Western world, the prospect of President Ron Paul or President Newt Gingrich is frankly spine-chilling.

I was watching FOX News today and there was a panel talking about all the GOP candidates. This piece doesn’t mention Mitt Romney, but certainly he’s in the description of all candidates. What one member of the panel discussed was that it seemed as if Republicans are looking for an alternative to Romney and that’s an issue he needs to address soon. Especially if it turns out that Romney will eventually gain the nomination in spite of Republicans looking for anyone but Mitt!

The rest of the article takes aim at the environment of Europe in the early 1930s. The Great Depression started here in the states and eventually made its way across the Atlantic into Europe. Perhaps the economy of those days were more global than I would’ve thought. In some ways the European economy was inter connected and in some ways the American economy was interconnected with Europe.

Anyway this column seeks to draw parallels between 1932 and 2012. Comparing the various world leaders of that time 80 years ago with those of 80 years later. Some of these parellels are spooky and unfortunately almost seems hopeless as indicated by the excerpt above about our own current Presidential race.

Time will only tell if this assessment is correct. You should read the whole article for the history lesson!

The last post of 2011 crossposted from It’s My Mind! :P

Written by Levois

January 1st, 2012 at 12:06 am

Vodkapundit: This Week in Blogs

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[VIDEO] Stephen Green of PJ Media’s Vodkapundit gives us a 5 and a half minute week in review via Instapundit

Happy Holidays from Stephen Green. See a cool Christmas Starship Enterprise, and some very uncool Nancy Pelosi footage. Should the Democrats dump Joe Biden? Should the Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) get a new tailor? Find out on this week’s show as Steve discusses President Obama, Joe Biden, Eric Holder and Whoopi Goldberg, all on the Week in Blogs.

Written by Levois

December 25th, 2011 at 2:38 pm

Mitt Romney Gets His Own Name Wrong

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[VIDEO] This is a clip from last nights GOP presidential debate. Marathon Pundit got him good for this one!

YAY!!! This isn’t a cross post!

Written by Levois

November 23rd, 2011 at 11:44 am

Andrew Jackson: the Tea Party president?

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Andrew Jackson was our 7th President serving from 1829 to 1837. This American Spectator article makes a great case that President Jackson – a Democrat – would be very relatable to today’s Tea Party movement.

I’m excerpting the conclusion on Jackson’s foreign policy if he just so happened to drop in on 21st Century America and then the final paragaph of this article:

On foreign policy, Jackson would argue that America must play a significant role in the world. We are a great nation and must stand tall. But he would warn against getting involved in unnecessary wars unrelated to vital American interests. And he would ferociously attack anyone who suggested, for example, that opposition to America’s Libyan adventure amounted to isolationism. He would insist on reasonable and accurate terms of debate.

Corporate welfare in all its forms; high taxes that thwart economic activity and entrepreneurialism; persistent deficit spending; the bloated federal government; intrusions from Washington great and small into the lives of citizens; petty corruption in legislative activity; unnecessary and dangerous military ventures — all would come under Jackson’s damning political assault. Then he would take his program to the American people, let the chips fall, and rise or fall on his principles. This approach worked with the Bank of the U.S. back in the 1830s. Perhaps it will reemerge as the country’s dominant political force in the 2010s.

Give this article a full read! Jackson I would think of as one of our more unique Presidents. Who could fill his shoes today? Because I already know he’s not going to magically drop from the 19th century into the 21st century!

Via Newsalert!

Written by Levois

October 10th, 2011 at 2:13 pm

Instavision: A Libertarian Moment in the GOP?

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[VIDEO] Since Rep. Ron Paul ran in the 2008 Presidential Race on the Republican side I’ve often pondered this subject. In that party the Conservatives had to find the right standard bearer and that turned out to be Ronald Reagan. There is still a need in the GOP to find that conservative standard bearer.

Still, I do wonder if now is the time for a Reaganesque figure for Libertarianism. If you believe that this nation needs to head in a direction that allows for less government and more liberty I would say now is the time. It does seem however that such movements takes years before eventually they do gain some success or even the Presidency or even solid control of either of our two major parties.

All the same Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit talks to former New Mexico Governor Gary Johnson on this very subject. Do you think this nation is ready for mainstream Libertarianism, however that should be defined?

Written by Levois

October 8th, 2011 at 11:36 pm

Obama’s legislative mindset…

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One analysis over how Obama wasn’t able to live up to his promise when he was first elected in 2008 provided by Rich Miller of the Capitol Fax:

It’s generally considered a rule of thumb that politicians with mainly legislative backgrounds do not make particularly effective chief executives. The two worlds, and their required mind-sets, are vastly different.

And, for the most part, our state’s better governors and our country’s most effective presidents for the past 100 years or so have had executive experience before moving to the top of the ladder. I spend a lot of time thinking and writing about legislatures, and I’ve been thinking lately that many of President Barack Obama’s bungles can be traced right to this issue.

Obama never really ran anything before being elected. But, more importantly, he also learned over the years to think like a legislator. Judging from afar, I don’t believe he has truly changed his mind-set.

Obama firmly believed his success at working with Republicans would help him be a better president. Heck, I thought the same thing during his campaign. So far, we’ve both been wrong.

After he was elected president, Obama was no longer a member of a large, mostly collegial group. Many of the same people who once gladly worked with him immediately vowed to block his every move.

Instead of realizing that the game had completely changed, Obama continued to approach Congress as if he were still a member of their club.

You should go over to CapFax and read the whole thing. And then in that same posting you will see another POV by Tribune Columnist Eric Zorn.

Count me as one of those who believes that “executive experience” is what one should look for in a potential chief executive. As President you have to execute the laws and the policies just as any manager would in a private business. A presidential candidate should show that he/she can lead and prove his/her effectiveness.

Of course that’s not to say that’s the only thing that matters. Obama didn’t have a large resume to begin with. Even if he did “conservatively” move up the ladder to prepare for the presidency – which would be ideal if not practical if you want to strike while the iron is hot – then there risks with that as well. To be sure lack of “executive experience” bothered me with McCain although he had a more significant resume than Obama. Although we could count McCain’s US Navy service.

Written by Levois

September 24th, 2011 at 4:06 pm