Saturday, August 11, 2012

The problem in a nutshell...

So Mitt tapped that budget-slashing fiscal conservative, Paul Ryan, as his nominee for Veep to show that... Well, to show something, but I'm not sure what.

While the press paints him as some maverick Ebenezer Scrooge for the budgetary Band-Aid he proposed slapping on our sucking fiscal chest wound, in reality, Ryan's toes are firmly on the party line: he voted for Medicare Part D, TARP, auto industry bailouts, and the rest of the whole free-spending financial firehose that's tried to float the ship of state on a fresh tide of fiat currency.

I guess he'd do a better job at holding a bucket of warm piss than Joe Biden*, but if that's not damning by faint praise, I don't know what is.


*On reading this aloud to Bobbi, she said "Only because Biden would try to read what it said on the bottom of the bucket by holding it upside down over his head."

42 comments:

John Stephens said...

Sometimes a Senator has to toe the party line, everyone has to take a turn cranking the sausage grinder. It's understood to be part of the job. But it does create a certain amount of embarrassment later, which is one of several reasons why I object to Senators running for President or Vice President.

Unknown said...

Oh look! More Of The Same!

yay.

Borepatch said...

And his "radical" budget plan will balance the budget in 30 years.

Tam said...

"...which is one of several reasons why I object to Senators running for President or Vice President."

And Representatives? ;)

Earl said...

You didn't expect a winning ticket from the Republicans, did you?

Vote for tokenism... both parties have no fearless leaders, they have tokens of what folks want to believe will save them. Cause the folks know they can't save themselves.

Besides, I have it on good authority that archery and bow hunting are just another sign of a war on women.

LCB said...

When congress let the various departments enact their own regulations and enforce them as law (EPA has a SWAT team for crying out loud), congress lost control of the government. The bureaucracy is so large and out of control now...it doesn't matter who we put in the White House or in congress. The monster will grow until it sucks the life out of the nation, and then it will all collapse.

Cheery thoughts for a Saturday morning, eh???

Anonymous said...

Hey you didn't create that bucket of warm piss!

Gerry

Tirno said...

Still, the Vice Presidential debates will look like a match up between Cub Scout Troop 473 and the L.A. Raiders. Ryan comes with facts and figures and comprehension. Biden has to do the debate holding onto the podium for dear life because it is hard to stand for a thing when you have to keep switching which foot is in your mouth.

Also, we get the pleasure of a stronger ticket alliteration in Romney/Ryan than the strained Obama/Biden.

I think the best hope is that Romney pulls a Reagan-following-Carter and gets two good terms that his Veep will be able to ride into the Armored Office Chair like GWHB did, and hopefully not whiff at the second at-bat.

The biggest problem I have with the ticket is that Ryan was at least bringing some intellect into the House, and he was doing some good. He can't do the same kind of work as Veep because he hasn't the powers. The only thing, the absolutely only thing, I liked about the original Obama/Biden ticket is that it stuck Biden in a political rubber room.

This year, I'm afraid the choice is clear: "Meh/Buck-saver" vs "WTF/OMG-HAX".

My best hope is that Ryan would be put in charge of Supreme Court nominee searches and start picking some libertarians.

Kristophr said...

You worry too much, Tam.

Obama is going to take a shellacking this November.

Yes, Romney is the Meh candidate, but I do not want another four year ride on the Obama machine.

Bram said...

Ryan could show up to preside over the Senate every day if elected VP. If the Dems hold the Senate, he could do his best to make Reid's life a living hell. If the Republicans take it, he can make sure McConnell and the rest of the Rino's don't get all spendy again.

Anonymous said...

Marxist plutocrat from Chicago vs. Marxist plutocrat from Massachusetts.

The only solution is total collapse.

Ish said...

There is such a thing as "rejecting the good in pursuit of the perfect," which is incredibly counterproductive.
Do I like that he voted for TARP? No.
Do I like 90% of the rest of his career? Yep.
Is he perfect? No.
Is he better than the alternative? Hell yes.

Anonymous said...

This will allow the Repub leaders to blame "conservatives" for NittWittMitt's loss (and he IS going to lose) and keep upchucking the same old party line that didn't work for Dole or McCain.
wildbill

Kristophr said...

Anonymous: Do not advocate total collapse if you have not been there.

Total collapse will involve some serious violence, and a lot of sick folks dying when their support collapses.

Don't voluntarily go there.

Joe in PNG said...

But he watches "Doomsday Preppers"! He has some MRE's stashed in a closet! He's set.

And total collapse is not what happens. Just watch England or California.

Fiftycal said...

Dahumn. Ryan won't pull us out of the UN, won't balance the budget next week(Obama and the socialists never propose a balanced budget, just more and more borrowing), he can't walk on water and he doesn't even look like jesus. Yah, by gott, I'm voting for Obama. He's only had 4 years to develop his plan and I'm going to start an electric car company.

Anonymous said...

Fine, Ryan's better than Obama on fiscal issues. But how did he become a tea-party darling? That, I'll never understand. Are we really that bad off in this country that there's no true fiscal conservative left in government?

jf

NotClauswitz said...

It's not Romney I hate so much as the Marxist-moron and his dumb-ass stooge in the White House.
Ryan shoots deer and likes guns (including the M1 Garand) and national reciprocity - he's not a Fudd and the PETA types hate him, that's a plus.
Watching the Lefty heads steam-up and explode will be fun.

Anonymous said...

When people start voting for fiscial conservatives, you'll get them. But a majority of voters don't seem to want that quite yet.

Anonymous said...

Every election cycle I think We the Peons can not possibly be presented with a more sorry "choice," and every time I an wrong. Romney sucks but Obongo is the vacuum of inter-galactic space.
Realizing the futulity of voting I do so because
1) Heroes died so I could, and I won't waste their sacrifice.
2) The value of my vote is 1 over infinity, but it's MY infinitescimal.
3) Those who don't vote have no right to bitch.
4) When the time comes to bust caps I can do so in good conscience.

Joe in PNG said...

I am so friggin fed up with wookie suiter perfectionism right now...
-Again, people. Listen. We. Do. NOT. Live. In. YOUR. Libertarian. Dictatorship.

-We live in a democratic republic, which means the leaders are picked by a MAJORITY of the voters.

-That a good majority of voters are idiots is a given, and pretty much every canidate has flaws is also a given.

-Thus, the reason you tend to have to choose between 'turd sandwhich' and 'giant doucsh(sp)' is because that is waht people tend to want.

-So, the question is what are YOU doing about it? Going 3rd party, then bitching about the Rep canidates ain't helping.

Anonymous said...

Romney, Ryan - at least they're not Marxists! Catchy slogan. Make some bumper stickers...

David said...

The lesser of two evils is still evil.

Tam said...

Fiftycal,

" Ryan won't pull us out of the UN, won't balance the budget next week(Obama and the socialists never propose a balanced budget, just more and more borrowing), he can't walk on water and he doesn't even look like jesus."

WHAT?!?!?!

You're criticizing a GOP candidate?

How DARE you insinuate a GOP candidate is anything less than the return of Washington's ghost possessing Coolidge's corpse?!

Are you some kinda COMMIE?!? Only a Commie would dare find fault with a Republican candidate!

Tam said...

Joe In PNG,

"So, the question is what are YOU doing about it?"

Oh, just the usual: Bumper stickers, yard signs, talking to people, voting in primaries, writing a blog that reaches a few thousand readers a day... Pretty much what everybody else is doing.

Joe in PNG said...

Sorry Tam. You are actually doing something, and my comment was not directed at you. It's those complain about the Repubs, and how they don't pick people they like -but- ain't registered 'Repub', ain't voting in the primaries, ain't givin money & knockin on doors and they don't do nuthin but bitch, moan, and vote 3rd party because the 'R' someone ain't perfect Libertarian enuff.
Because if we have a wookie suiter president, he'll just wave the magic wand of Rand and make the unions and government and regulations all go away, and the people shall all rejoice!

The system is what it is. That a lot of bitching tends to be a phase reversed version of Pauline Kael's sniff on how no one she knows voted for Nixon just irritates me. We can't vote our way out of it, and we damn sure are not going to shoot our way out of it either.

Gay_Cynic said...

Test 1: Better than Obama/Biden?

Yes.

Test 2: Realistic chance of victory?

Yes, dammit.

Off we go to mumble curses while voting for the lesser of the evils. Time to work on encouraging Tea Party and Libertarian sorts to run for local offices as stealth candidates wearing the colors of either major party.

Justthisguy said...

I am glad, in a way, that my Dear Dead Mom is no longer with us and can't see what has happened to our country. She was never wrong when it came to business or politics, and never failed to make fun of Biden and/or reproach him as a lying plagiarist, just from what she saw of him on C-SPAN.

Kristophr said...

Besides ... Ryan drove the wienermobile whne he was a kid ....

Joe in PNG said...

Gay Cynic- exactly!

dave said...

"Only because Biden would try to read what it said on the bottom of the bucket by holding it upside down over his head."

And if we're really lucky, he'll move his lips as he's reading.

JohninMd(help!) said...

@Anon 7:20; I agree with all your reasons. I feel likewise (though I pray we somehow avoid cap bustin' - Civil wars are ugly things) but we've got the candidates that primary voters gave us. So we gotta somehow educate the electorate in American history. yeah. What's the old saw 'bout leadin' a horse to water.......? FWIW, I'd a paid good money to see a series of debates 'tween Newt and Barry. THAT woulda been entertaining!

Dedicated_Dad said...

JohninMd(help!) said...

"...but we've got the candidates that primary voters gave us..."

*NO*!

We've got the candidates that the Establishment-types in the Retardlican branch of The Government Party JAMMED UP OUR...

er...

...JAMMED **DOWN** OUR THROATS!

We can't even turn the Retardlican "party" around without violence -- just look at what they pulled in Louisiana!

Other states were sometimes a *BIT* more subtle, but no less corrupt and evil!

These people are *NOT* going to go quietly, and when they start losing they'll change the rules, or just flat out LIE.

This corruptocracy is never going to change so long as it has *ANY* other option.

Personally, I think speedy and fair trials followed by an immediate, old-school lamppost short-drop hanging is our best solution -- but we're going to need a *LOT* of rope!!

Dedicated_Dad said...

PS: "Short drop" followed by a nice, long dance of the "transylvania twist" -- they don't deserve humane treatment, and it needs to be as ugly as possible por encourager les autres...

microcorsair said...

Actually Biden would hold that bucket upside-down over OUR heads, and wonder why he still couldn't read it.

The Freeholder said...

Semi-nice effort, but I'm still voting for Gary Johnson.

Fiftycal said...

Freeholder, Obama thanks you for your support.

Fowl Ideas said...

I found Obama to be a relatively harmless disappointment, but Romney is an obvious sociopath made entirely of plastic.

I'm voting for Clivus Multrum.

Gnarly Sheen said...

If only there were some other option, like a third party that we could vote for. That'd be swell! But no, we have to vote for the guy with the "R" after his name (I think it stands for "retarded") or all hope (and change) is lost.

Johnson/Gray 2012, because I don't feel like voting for the current failure-in-chief OR the white version of him.

"But he doesn't have a chance of winning!" Your fault for not voting for him, not mine.

This post obviously not directed at Tam. Use only as directed. Consult a physician if symptoms persist for more than two weeks.

JohninMd(help!) said...

@dedicated dad - Did or did not the voters in primary contests pick Mittens over the rest of the field? Where, at what point did the party elite say, "no, we are picking the candidate, Not the great unwashed". Do they do their best to sway the vote? You betcha. Lie? we're talkin' about POLITICIONS here. Trust 'em as far as we can throw 'em? Reagan's term "trust, but verify" comes to mind. Until we educate Joe Sixpack back to the level of a 18th century farmer on the Constitution and the founding, forget electing a "perfect" candidate w/ no backup (Paul, as much as I like him), and concentrate on the doable, pushing the GOP back to conservative principles. Ryan's a start. the fight continues........

Cormac said...

Gay Cynic, that's exactly what I do!

I've never actually voted for a president or candidate...I've done some voting against, though.

This time, I'm voting against Obama, and Romney is the only guy with any chance of winning.

(I'm also a fan of the idea that the media will actually criticize a president, and call him out when he screws up.)

Justthisguy said...

I have mostly tried to ignore Roberta after she and I got crossways, but I do concur with what she said there.