The GOP governors who 'get it'

NY Post ^ | August 3, 2010 | Rich Lowry

[Scanian]

If you could boil down the public's lament with Washington, it might be: "What happened to the adults?"

Not the adults of the Clark Clifford variety, the Washington fixtures who alternate between serving administrations and commenting on them sagely for PBS. But political leaders who make tough choices, take on problems directly and combine principle with pragmatism in a manner consistent with true statesmanship.

President Obama promised to be this kind of leader. He has instead proved -- with a few exceptions -- to be the servant of a limited political faction. He has exacerbated the nation's fiscal crisis without dealing effectively with its economic crisis, while piling on far-reaching legislation of dubious merit. His supporters still lament that Washington is "broken."

The sweep of Obama's ambition has necessarily forced congressional Republicans into a perpetual posture of "no," but they are reluctant to outline their own agenda of "yes." Out in the country, a populist movement of great moment and promise wants to pull the country back to its constitutional moorings. Its favored candidates, though, are often shaky vessels, the likes of Rand Paul in Kentucky and Sharron Angle in Nevada, who are always one gaffe away from self-immolation.

[Psalm 144]

Out in the country, a populist movement of great moment and promise wants to pull the country back to its constitutional moorings. Its favored candidates, though, are often shaky vessels, the likes of Rand Paul in Kentucky and Sharron Angle in Nevada, who are always one gaffe away from self-immolation.

********************************

“One gaffe away from self-immolation” as defined and decreed by the media. “Inside the Beltway” knaves and parasites may live in Gaffeland indefinitely with no consequences.

“UPS and FedEx are doing just fine, right? It’s the Post Office that’s always having problems.”

“We need to pass the bill to find out what’s in it.”

“You could literally smell the tourists coming into the Capitol.”

“We make it up as we go along.”

“The largest spending bill in history is going to turn out to be the war in Iraq.”

[nathanbedford]

Out in the country, a populist movement of great moment and promise wants to pull the country back to its constitutional moorings. Its favored candidates, though, are often shaky vessels, the likes of Rand Paul in Kentucky and Sharron Angle in Nevada, who are always one gaffe away from self-immolation.

Compare these two to two governors:

Both Christie and Daniels are happy (or, in the case of the latter, pleasant) warriors. They both are distinctive politicians, not what a political consultant would cook up in his laboratory. (Christie has too much girth and Daniels too little hair.) They both feel the weight of responsibility as the chief executives of their states in a way that hyperbolic congressmen and commentators don't. They prove that Republicans can govern, that budgets can be tamed, and that politics can work, so long as serious men and women put their shoulders to the wheel.

Why are the first two individuals vulnerable when they make a gaffe and the likes of Gov. Christie of New Jersey is as invincible and invulnerable as a great battleship pushing through the waves? It certainly is not because the fat man and the bald man are pretty boys. If you see a full-length picture of Gov. Christie he literally looks like a cartoon character. Nobody seems to think that Christie lacks substance or gravitas if he slips. Likewise, Obama has made some terrible gaffes to no real permanent damage.

No, the difference is not appearance, the difference is style and substance. These two governors prove that Republicans can prevail with an affirmative program. They prove that they can either win under the radar or they can blast through the resistance as Christie is doing. Paul Ryan has shown that it can be done on a national level.

Sharron Angle especially should take a hard look at these three men and get on the offensive with real substantive policies that rock the media and the cultural elitists back on their heels. It can be done, it is being done. She should recognize that generalities leave one open but a hard-nosed program puts the other side onto defense and into defensiveness. The commonplace is true, in politics you are either on defense or offense.

[PalmettoMason]

Just make sure my Governor, Mark Sanford, is on this list.

He was "getting it" a lot last summer in Argentina. :o)

[ballplayer]

Thank You, Where the Hell are the Leaders? Obama said Yesterday in a Speech somewhere that the Republicans are counting on your amnesia about THEIR policies. Well he has a Point because it seems to me the Republicans are the ones WITH amnesia,Last year at this time Americans from Coast to Coast were Gathered at Town Halls Outraged at the Policies of the Marxist in the White House, Taxes, Health Care being Forced down our throat.This was followed by a March to Washington attended by Hundreds of Thousands of Normal working people.
So here we are 91 days from the Chance for the people to be heard and what do we hear from our supposed side? SILENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Strategy of our supposed side just keep quiet!!!!!!!!!! I dont know about you but the Republican Bastards are worse than the Democrat traitors.

[liberateUS]

Just make sure my Governor, Mark Sanford, is on this list. He was "getting it" a lot last summer in Argentina. :o)""

His staff thought he said he was hiking the Appalachian Trail, but what he said was he was hiking some Argentine tail!

[ROCKLOBSTER]

SILENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Strategy of our supposed side just keep quiet!!!!!!!!!!

I believe the adage is:

"When your enemy is bent on destroying themselves, get the hell out of the way."

[onona]

LOL.....coming down this weekend, dropping my kid off at The Citadel.

[PalmettoMason]

LOL.....coming down this weekend, dropping my kid off at The Citadel.

How can you dare to come to South Carolina? Don't you know we are under a NAACP boycott? /s

Seriously, I hope you enjoy our hospitality while you are in the Palmetto State.

WELCOME!

[q_an_a]

Angle like Plain has fought the party establishment - she beat them in court on spending and education - she has a built in group of people that fight her on principle...she took my cookie - wah, boo, cry; when the party she be backing her. She ahs a long way to go not because she is not like Christie or Daniels, who got the same treatment before they where elected, she has to beat the RINO and the lefty who are supported by the press. / my 2 cents

[ballplayer]

That’s fine when there is not an election in 90 days.
You have an administration that is Hell bent on total destruction of the American way of life and I would like to know if there is an opposition.
I don’t know what you Mean your enemy is destroying himself when they have already passed zn abomination of a Health care planthat very few still know what’s in it,a so called Financial reform that creates dozens of more government agencies with thousands of more burecrats that have a royal exemption from the crap health care the slaves will have,do you hear anyone talking about any of this? Those new aggencies will be in charge of government quota hiring,anyone talking about that?
As far as I know the Republicans are for all of this,haven’t heard anything to make me want to cast a vote for any of them.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

I don’t know what you Mean your enemy is destroying himself when they have already passed zn abomination of a Health care planthat very few still know what’s in it,a so called Financial reform that creates dozens of more government agencies with thousands of more burecrats that have a royal exemption from the crap health care the slaves will have,do you hear anyone talking about any of this?

The RATs are acting in total opposition to the will of the people. Their poll numbers are dropping like a rock against a generic R candidate, and without the Rs having spent a nickel.

As far as I know the Republicans are for all of this

Guess you need to pay more attention...Don't you watch CSPAN coverage of Congress? Why not?

haven’t heard anything to make me want to cast a vote for any of them.

Oh, that'll teach 'em! Maybe you shouldn't be a voter.

Go look up the voting records, either they do or don't deserve your vote.

[Gene Eric]

>> the difference is style and substance

and fluency.

[meadsjn]

The problem with the GOP in DC was highlighted with the recent joint interview with Mitch McConnell and John Boehner on Fox News.

Both are saying the right Republican stuff about cutting taxes, cutting spending, etc., but they are both stuck in the rut of passing new legislation in the process, knowing that any piece of legislation will get new taxes and spending tacked on, as well as new programs to benefit someone's pet nanny project.

You guys just need to grow a pair and start declaring every single piece of legislation as unconstitutional, and then toss it into the burn pit -- just because it is the right thing to do. Don't spend, don't tax, don't add a single thing to this Fed monstrosity. Just cut, cut, cut.