OBAMA’S CHOICE
President Obama has made all the symbolic moves he needs to move to the center. But the essence of successful triangulation has to be rooted in policy not in image. As key policy issues come up in Congress, the president will have to move to the center or continue to hang out on the left. His choice will set the stage for the elections of 2012.
The symbolism of his response to the Tucson shootings reminded us of President Clinton at Oklahoma City. His initiative to reduce federal regulation is, at least, a cosmetic improvement. (Although it comes as he prepares, by executive action, to impose a carbon tax on American business, a ban on secret ballots in union elections, and FCC efforts to cripple talk radio). His appointment of Daily as his Chief of Staff sent a signal of coming moderation.
THE ORPHANED LEFT
For the past three years, the left and Obama have been indistinguishable, joined at the hip in a marriage of ideology and, where that failed, of convenience. Now the marriage is on the rocks and some see a divorce in the offing.
Obama strayed from the confrontational rhetoric of the left in his post-Tucson speech last week. While the likes of Paul Krugman and left wing bloggers were hyping the theme that Sarah Palin’s and the Tea Party activists’ rhetoric inflamed people sufficiently to bring out the worst leading — albeit indirectly — to the shooting of Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords.
DICK ENDORSES REINCE PRIEBUS FOR RNC CHAIRMAN
Dear Reader,
I have followed Reince Priebus’ highly successful work in Wisconsin. Because of his leadership, we recaptured the state legislature and the governorship and defeated Feingold.
I hope Reince Priebus is elected the new Republican National Committee Chairman. If he can bring the same energy and clear vision to that task as he did to his state efforts, it will help us enormously in 2012.
Best of luck Reince!
Dick Morris
TO SAVE THE STATES: LET ‘EM DECLARE BANKRUPTCY
Published in the New York Post on January 12, 2011
Facing huge budget difficulties, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie has been showing other states how to survive — namely, by taking on the government-employee unions.
Christie’s battles with the teachers unions over the past year have produced countless YouTube hits. And last month, he got a law passed to limit wage hikes from labor arbitrations between the state and public-employee unions to an average 2 percent annual increase.
DEBT-LIMIT CHICKENS FACE CHOP
Published on TheHill.com on January 11, 2011
Unless House Republicans want to trigger a civil war within their party, they must accompany any expansion of the debt limit with serious cuts in spending. While the old, complacent GOP establishment would have gone along with a clean debt-limit bill, the new, fiery Tea Party folks won’t have it.
Nor will America. Most Americans do not want to see the debt limit raised at all. If it must be increased, they will insist that it be preceded by major cuts in government spending. Voters see the need to borrow more money as a symptom of a disease of overspending. They are unwilling to sanction ongoing pain relievers to mitigate the impact of the illness without major progress toward a cure in the form of spending reductions.
THERE ARE NO POLITICS IN MURDER
The conventional wisdom of the media establishment that strident and outspoken political debate catalyzes violence is an absurdity! Telling people to “kill pigs” as the sixties radicals did, in fact, encouraged violence. But vigorous political debate and strongly or even passionately held views have nothing whatever to do with the decision of some nut to kill a Congressman or a president.
Fantasies about Jodie Foster, instructions from Son of Sam, or delusions of omnipotence all can cause violence, but heated political debate doesn’t. To stigmatize strongly articulated opinions on the left or the right and blame them for the insane attack on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords is outrageous.
NO DEBT LIMIT EXPANSION WITHOUT SPENDING CUTS!
Every Republican member of Congress should sign the following pledge, being promulgated by Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform:
“I promise not to vote for any expansion of the federal debt limit unless it is preceded or accompanied by significant cuts in federal spending.”
We all know that the reason the federal government debt is exploding is the reckless spending policies of the Obama Administration. From the time George Washington took the oath of office to the time Barack Obama did, Washington borrowed $9 trillion. Since Obama took office, two years ago, we have borrowed almost $5 trillion more! Domestic discretionary spending (non-defense) has risen by an astonishing 41% in two years!!! Welfare spending, primarily Medicaid, has gone up by 54% in two years!!!! We must roll back these increases. (It is not increases in Social Security – 14% — or Medicare -16% that are the problem).
WE WON! OSCAR LOPEZ PAROLE DENIED!
Dear Friend
Thanks to your truly massive outpouring of calls and emails, the parole board hearing examiner has recommended against granting parole to Oscar Lopez, the unrepentant founder and leader of the Puerto Rican terror group the FALN!
To read about the hearing examiner’s recommendation – Click Here
God bless the USA!
Thanks,
Dick
