"Spending is a real problem, but to tie spending to tax cuts is nothing more than a liberal ploy to keep taxes high," – Patrick Ruffini, criticizing John McCain’s allegedly bizarre idea that tax cuts need to be balanced by spending cuts.
Predictions!
Noah Millman pulls a Safire. Money quote:
Not because I really expect it but because I think it’s plausible, I predict that the 2008 Presidential Election will be: McCain-Huckabee versus Obama-Webb.
Email From Iowa
I guess anything can happen:
I live in Cedar Falls, Iowa. I have attended rallies by all of the candidates, save Obama, this week. Edwards rally was small and unenthusiastic. Biden was mesmerizing, and drew many prominent Republicans from the area. Biden has some real potential in Eastern Iowa. He will draw away from Hillary. I saw Hillary last night and she sounded so, well weird. She was trying to lay out a calm, modulated case, but ended up just being boring. There were upwards of 500 people there, but as a staffer pointed out to my sister, who is from Minnesota, " I can’t find one person here from Iowa!"
If you really want to know what is going to happen in Iowa, fasten your seatlbelt. This is the prevailing wisdom on Iowa, as heard in the parking lot at a Hillary event, " Is this who you are going to caucus for?", an elderly man said to another elderly couple. " I don’t know. We’re gonna go see Dodd tomorrow and Obama on Wednesday. I won’t know till I walk in the door on Thursday."
I am for Obama, my daughter works for Edwards, my husband leans Hillary and most of my friends are for Kucinich, Richardson, and Biden. Husband, wife and daughter, sons all over Iowa are supporting various people and believe me there were probably many holiday arguments in this state this year! Stay tuned!
Kenya On The Brink
Maybe the State Department was on vacation:
The American State Department, having first congratulated Mr Kibaki on his victory, hastily withdrew this accolade and said: "We do have serious concerns, as I know others do, about irregularities in the vote count."
My italics. Meanwhile the country explodes. Kenya’s bloggers are busy countering the government’s media blackout. Kenyan Pundit, Ory, writes:
This is now officially a police state.
Menacingly, the Kibaki government’s patent election-rigging has split the military, opening up the prospect of civil war:
Planning an alternative inauguration can be interpreted as treason which would explain the security forces heavy approach (if this is true). During the press conference Raila introduced an army Major who stated that the armed forces are behind Raila. Our military is divided.
But the US sent congrats to the the men who stole a democratic election. However unqualified some of the candidates in this election, could any of them be more incompetent in foreign affairs than the Bush administration?
(Photo: Kenyans wave ‘pangas’ (a broader blade machete) as they demonstrate after fresh violence linked to the disputed presidential poll erupted 30 December 2007 at the Kibera slum in Nairobi, during the Presidential polls winner, Mwai Kibaki’s swearing in ceremony. By Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty.)
Fox Bars Ron Paul
But they allow Fred Thompson in their New Hampshire debate next week. Paul has twice the support of Thompson in New Hampshire. He has raised much more money than Thompson and has more ability to last into the campaign. On what basis is he excluded? New Hampshire may well be his moment. And Fox seems determined to stop him.
Mental Health Break
Or a metaphor for me and my readers. Yes: I’m the blind one who is sometimes mistaken for a dick:
Yglesias Award Nominee
"Huckabee then tried to show the gathered media the ad, in a transparent attempt both to get the message out via unpaid media, and to get credit for supposedly taking the high road. I’m sorry, but this is as phony as all get-out. I’ve made no secret of my enthusiasm for Huck’s candidacy, and I hope he wins Iowa, but this smells of Eddie Haskell," – Rod Dreher, Beliefnet.
The Future
A reader writes:
Damn, talk about hitting the nail on the head. I’m also 29 and your reader’s email is dead on about our generation. At this point I don’t know a single friend of my generation who doesn’t see Obama as the only viable candidate precisely because of his unifying pragmatism outside of the tired arguments of our parents generation. He talks and looks like so many of us and our friends, while the other candidates seem to still be playing a game we are all too familiar with and have been disgusted by for a long time.
On a related note, I walked out of Juno the other day filled with great hope in our younger generation. It is a great example of post boomer and post-90’s thought on abortion, marriage, love and life. Between this and Obama I’m just about getting excited about the possibility for a rather bright future for us.
Well, Someone Bought It
The Dallas Morning News piece on Huckabee’s presser today. Via Marc.
Huckabust?
That sound you hear rumbling out of Des Moines appears to be a monumental implosion.
I’d be cautious. Huckabee’s supporters are not like the mainstream press.
