Writing at Forbes, Reihan Salam has a withering critique of Florida Governor Charlie Crist and hits on the thing that, to me at least, lies at the heart of the struggle within the Republican party.
Coupling tax cuts and spending increases may have been Republican practice of late, but I don't think its accurate to say that it comports with Republican principles; therefore, opposing it is not wrong. In fact, opposing such stupidity is imperative. It's clear that the on the national level the Republican leadership is either unable or unwilling to do so. The fact that the right-roots has taken up the cause, should come as no surprise.
Salam goes on to chronicle Crist's bad habit of using one-time funds to pay for on-going expenses and federal handouts to prop up his state's real estate market. Something that Salam refers to as, "public policy as Ponzi scheme."
Anyone interested in what ails the Republicans and the nation more generally, should go read the whole thing.
The debate we ought to be having is between a state that appropriates a larger share of private income in an attempt to provide a larger share of services and a state that lets people keep more of the fruits of their labor and allows the market to provide what people desire. Republicans though, can't begin to engage in this debate as long as their standard-bearers are addicted to government spending and control. It's no wonder Democrats make a habit of lauding people like Crist, annointing them as moderates, and crying foul when they are rightfully shunned by Republican activists.
Quieting the tumult within the Republican party is an important step on the path back to power, but putting forth borrow and spend candidates like Crist isn't the way to go about it.
Charlie Crist is an extraordinarily gifted politician, known for his unpretentious and warm demeanor. He might also be America's worst governor. Given that there is a great deal of competition for this dubious honor, that's saying rather a lot....This isn't about enforcing orthodoxy, loyalty oaths, or allegiance to Glenn Beck or Sarah Palin. This is about bad governance, end of story.
When Marc Caputo and Steve Bousquet of the Miami Herald asked Crist about the virtues of the [stimulus] plan, he said, "I think it's fantastic. Are you kidding me? We don't have to raise taxes." Moreover, Crist continued, "we might be able to cut property taxes some more. We have more money for education, so we can increase per-student spending. We can spend more money on our roads and infrastructure. We can provide health care for our people. I mean, it's remarkable." Indeed, something is remarkable, namely Crist's rigid adherence to an ideology more pernicious than orthodox progressivism or conservatism or nudism or anarchoprimitivism. I'm referring, of course, to free-lunchism.
Coupling tax cuts and spending increases may have been Republican practice of late, but I don't think its accurate to say that it comports with Republican principles; therefore, opposing it is not wrong. In fact, opposing such stupidity is imperative. It's clear that the on the national level the Republican leadership is either unable or unwilling to do so. The fact that the right-roots has taken up the cause, should come as no surprise.
Salam goes on to chronicle Crist's bad habit of using one-time funds to pay for on-going expenses and federal handouts to prop up his state's real estate market. Something that Salam refers to as, "public policy as Ponzi scheme."
Anyone interested in what ails the Republicans and the nation more generally, should go read the whole thing.
The debate we ought to be having is between a state that appropriates a larger share of private income in an attempt to provide a larger share of services and a state that lets people keep more of the fruits of their labor and allows the market to provide what people desire. Republicans though, can't begin to engage in this debate as long as their standard-bearers are addicted to government spending and control. It's no wonder Democrats make a habit of lauding people like Crist, annointing them as moderates, and crying foul when they are rightfully shunned by Republican activists.
Quieting the tumult within the Republican party is an important step on the path back to power, but putting forth borrow and spend candidates like Crist isn't the way to go about it.
1 comment:
He might also be America's worst governor.
Crist is not even CLOSE in that race.
Email Salam. tell him to Google James Earl Doyle, Fraudster-in-Chief/Wisconsin.
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