[JediJones]

He makes good points. Romney’s post-election musings seem to indicate that he doesn’t really believe in the power of free market capitalism and traditional values to pull people out of poverty and government dependence.

This was clear from way before he got the nomination. Remember his statement that he'd index the minimum wage to inflation during the primary? Romney's not a free market guy.

At the same time I don't agree with Republicans or conservatives dismissing the argument that people who are net tax RECEIVERS are likely to vote for Obama and the Democrats. Many people will vote on their short-term self interest. The fact that Obama has been trying to radically expand the food stamp program and other welfare benefits and market them aggressively to more people should tell you that. He wouldn't be doing it if it didn't benefit him politically.

Stopping the expansion of these welfare programs should remain a high priority for conservatives. And we have to do all we can to explain why our policies are economically better for everyone in the long-term. But there's only so much we'll be able to do to combat human nature and its tendency to favor short-term benefits over long-term. Which means we need to do everything we can to stop the expansion of the welfare state even if it damages us in the short-term. Caving in on it is pointless, because as Laura Ingraham smartly points out, it would just launch a bidding war with the Democrats, who would offer bigger and better welfare benefits than us every time.

[iopscusa]

I just gom-smacked by the uselessness of the supposedly numbers guy Paul Ryan in explaining how the R&R team were going to put the economy back on track with their miraculous voodoo!!! Did Ryan become persona non grata?

[Behind the Blue Wall]

I think you’re right that Obama has purposely put as many people on the dole as possible in order to make them into reliable Democratic voters. I’ve actually seen it up close and personal through my job, where I’ve witnessed people being literally bribed with little freebies like food and gift cards to spend an hour with a social worker going through every single possible federal welfare program to see if they qualify.

[uncommonsense]

"But there's only so much we'll be able to do to combat human nature and its tendency to favor short-term benefits over long-term."

Very true. Perhaps the saving grace will be the level of control the statists will have to impose to keep things limping along - e.g. death panels. A good percentage of the people motivated enough to vote may want "free stuff", but don't like to be micromanaged to that level.

But then again, I think it'll play our exactly like Atlas Shrugged.