Posted on 06/11/2008 7:58:33 AM PDT by Kleebo151
For Republicans seeking to tarnish Obama's image as a squeaky-clean outsider hoping to clean up Washington -- not to mention divert attention from questions about lobbyists working in Sen. John McCain's campaign -- Obama's embrace of Johnson has been a gift.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
The real Obama is slowly being revealed.
I’m sure this is important as far as it goes, but I don’t think it’s going very far. People don’t care about this stuff. They want jobs and an economic future and security for our country.
If Republicans were smart they’d run on the ECONOMY.
And they’d be blaring the trumpets that the ECONOMY runs on OIL.
If the Republicans were smart they’d change the Republican Brand to the Drill Here, Drill Now, Pay Less political party.
I know it sounds like single-issue, but I’ll tell you, this is a single issue that could make a DIFFERENCE.
If the Republicans were smart they’d embrace it now. Fiercely. Angrily. Loudly. And no backing down. No spinelessness allowed.
Yesterday: The New Media
Today: The Washington Post
Tomorrow: Everyone else.
Single issues drilled into the heads of Americans is what does work. The Republicans need to repeat, repeat, and repeat what you just stated.
Well stated. New Media/Citizen Journalists/Informed Citizens BUMP!
Actually, I think Hugh Hewitt wrote it. I just stole it. :~)
Why are those evil R's always going negative against political opponents? No Republican Party accomplishments to tout?
Too many scandals - Abramoff, Libby, Foley, Minneapolis Airport, the Duke, Iraq outsourcing, ad infinitum - hitting too close to home?
I think there’s another hook in this story that Republicans should pick up on. Everyone’s focusing on the “resigned from Obama campaign” angle. But there’s more here. And I think it has the potential to be as big as the “house bank” scandal of ‘94.
Note that Johnson made all that money and garnered his chauffeurs, servants and private office....ALL WHILE HE WAS A “PUBLIC SERVANT”. I hate to even think what his pension is going to cost us. Sheesh. $21 million compensation in ONE YEAR!
Republicans need to repeatedly inform Americans that their so-called public servants now earn considerably more, on average, than their counterparts in the private sector. No, I’m not using their more generous time off to sway the numbers. We actually pay them a lot more than we make. Add on their pensions, health care, etc. and it’s almost double.! And that’s just the pension costs the government has admitted to. They’ve beeen lying to us for years...each one just long enough to serve his time and get out before the tsunami hits.
Republicans should hammer home that these unions give MILLIONS to Democrats and provide untold man hours to their campaigns. In turn, the Dems protect all those expensive benefits packages. We can’t afford this anymore. The time isn’t far off when the very people who frittered away all our social security money are going to come to us saying we have to pony up BILLIONS for their pension plans-—at the same time they’re going to tell us SS is broke and they’re going to cut OUR benefits and we have to work longer.
I’m sick of paying for their cushy jobs. Jobs with no accountability (notice no one got fired or prosecuted for jiggering the Fannie Mae numbers). I’m sick of paying for their pensions-—sweeter than anything any private sector workers see anymore-—and tied to inflation, tax-free in many cases, granted to their spouse if they die first, and usually as early as age 50 or 55. I’m tired of giving them their health insurance for life.
And when they DO retire, they’ve usually spent years preparing the path to employment with a company who’s willing to pay them big bucks to help it get around the very rules they themselves were charged with enforcing while on the inside.
It’s revolting. And it’s just as bad at state and local levels. (If you haven’t read about the City of Vallejo’s bankruptcy, do so now). It’s all a cushy, insider game. They get their nice compensations, politicians get their palms greased, and you and I are on the outside looking in...and get to pay for all of it. I for one am sick of it. If McCain won’t do it, then we need someone to step up and push him. I guarantee you there’s fertile ground out there for this issue.
You are absolutely right. This is fertile ground.
In the 90’s we had the Heritage Foundation and groups like Citizens Against Government Waste pushing these issues. Those guys are still around, but I never hear anything about them. Where are all the think tanks?
There’s a simple, catchy, easily understood theme for this just waiting for someone to use it:
“HOW IS IT ALL THESE AVERAGE FOLKS COME TO WASHINGTON AND THEN LEAVE AS MILLIONAIRES?!”
You can start with the Clintons. Then Johnson. Then Reid. Then...well, I don’t have that much time.
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