Two Bad Days for the GOP

The American Thinker ^ | February 3, 2012 | Steve McCann

[Cincinatus' Wife]

.......The Democrats and the Obama re-election machine have sat by and watched the Republican Follies over the past 48 hours, and by doing nothing they have gathered manna from heaven for the upcoming campaign.

First, Gingrich is carpet-bombed in Florida, reacts petulantly is taken off his game and forgets what won South Carolina for him...

.....Then Romney is seized by foot-in-mouth disease. By claiming he doesn't care about the really poor and would fix any holes in the safety-net he has reinforced the image of a greedy Wall Street banker out to make money at any cost.

....Mitt Romney then digs the hole deeper and thoroughly alienates conservatives by stating that he would index the minimum wage to inflation and thus raise it every year. This is said in an effort to mitigate the damage from his earlier faux pas. It is common knowledge that the mandatory minimum wage is a disaster for those entering the work force. The unemployment rate for those in the 16-20 age group exceeds 21% and is far worse for minorities in the same category. It has been a rock-ribbed tenet of conservatism that the minimum wage is anti-business and more importantly kills job creation so necessary for upward mobility. Why, if Romney is a true conservative, doesn't he understand?

George H.W. Bush or Bob Dole or even John McCain, all the epitome of Republican moderates, were not this obtuse and devoid of basic conservative values.

However the pinnacle of all this foolishness is the image of a super-rich out-of-touch mogul (Donald Trump) endorsing a really rich out-of touch front-runner (Mitt Romney) for the Republican nomination. Has there ever been a better picture from central casting to reinforce the Democrat and socialist mantra that the Republican Party is the Party of the rich?...

[Ozymandias Ghost]

Trump is about getting his face on TV. The endorsement means very little in my opinion ...might even hurt Mitt more than it helps. Trump is an entrepeneur, first, last and always.

[The Citizen Soldier]

Taken in context, I have to respectfully disagree that Romney said anything stupid regarding the poor. It was nothing that the media has twisted around.

This, however, points to a bigger problem. Mitt Romney is not a conservative. He is a very rich liberal/moderate. Thinking this pitch to the "middle class" will help his chances, he panders to those he thinks will help elect him. In doing so, he actually promotes class warfare and plays right into the left's plan to defeat him (showing minimal difference between him and Obama).

The minimum wage, for anyone who takes the time to research it, is a job KILLER and has almost nothing to do with actually improving standards. Mark Levin played an excellent tape of Milton Friedman explaining the realities of minimum wage. Highly recommend you watch this short two and a half minute video:

Milton Friedman on Minimum Wage

[Anima Mundi]

What was it Romney said about liking to fire people? Kind of fits with Trump’s signature phrase: you’re fired.

[KansasGirl]

Taken in context, what he said was stupid. He said 1) he is not concerned about the poor and 2) he'll plug holes in safety net for the poor if needed. As a true conservative, this angers me, because the faux conservative Romney reinforces a media created lie that conservatives and Republicans don't care about the poor because they don't support the welfare state and wealth redistribution. The truth is, conservatives care deeply about the poor. Socialism, which the Democrats promote, destroys lives and enslaves people. The Democrat party is fine with that because that keeps them dependent on the government. True conservatives, otoh, want people to live in freedom and dignity and have the freedom to pursue happiness with as little government interference in their lives as possible. They know the best way to help the poor is through economic growth and prosperity which allows the them to have jobs and be self-sufficient and have the dignity and fulfillment that comes along with that. Economic growth improves everybody lives: the poor, the middle class, and the rich. Economic growth is achieved by creating an environment that encourages the rich to invest capital which in return benefits all Americans. The rich get richer, the middle class gets richer, and the poor get richer. Conservatives DO NOT play class warfare and divide people into groups. They do not believe that you focus on one group over another. That is the Democrats game, and apparently, Romney's s well.

This is a basic tenant of conservative beliefs. Romney's comments make it clear that he is not a conservative but a statist. He will be an wful GOP nominee because he does not articulate the message of conservatism which destroys Obama's message of socialism.

[sarge83]

But! But! Ann C, Charles K, George W, Bill K, Fred B, Bob D, John M, etc... all said that Romney was the most electable and polished and the only man that can beat obama. They said he was the perfect candidate...

Come on all you liberal party guys and gals, lets get out those brooms and dustpans and clean up the mess and tell us how little Willard was just having a bad day.

[Ozymandias Ghost]

Trump is a liberal about everything but his finances. He plays both sides of the fence as most “big money” and Wall Streeters do. They shift sides to go w/the perceived winner. Very few have any core values other than their own “bottom line.” Trump is just as “hollow” as Romney.