Oregon Elephant

Public option dropped?

So, first HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius (among others) intimates that the public option isn't essential to reform in Obama's eyes:

Then, this morning, Press Secreatary Robert Gibbs says Sebelius "misspoke".

Translation:  She accidentally told the truth, as Matt Lewis at Townhall indicates.

Interesting factoid:  Obama wrote a 1200 word editorial on health care for the New York Times over the weekend, and it didn't mention a public option once.  Hmmmmm.

Govt legal aid dept spent $188k on imported Italian stone...

From Amanda Carpenter in The Washington Times...

EXCLUSIVE: Legal Services' decorative costs 'excessive' - Washington Times 

Newt at CPAC - and his "12 Solutions"

Newt spoke at CPAC yesterday and offered to debate Eric Holder “anytime, anywhere” on the issue of whether America is a nation of cowards.  Always good at stagecraft, Newt had ‘em going. 

Speaking of Newt, I’ve been reading his book, Real Change.  It’s a GREAT book (all caps, bold and italic on purpose).  Whatever else one can say about him, Newt has great ideas and has the ability to take conservative principles and apply them to actual, real problems.  We need more of him.

He has a website, and as part of his “American Solutions Project” has published “12 American Solutions for Jobs and Prosperity”.  Here are the principles (PDF here):

1. Payroll Tax Stimulus. With a temporary new tax credit to offset 50% of the payroll tax, every small business would have more money, and all Americans would take home more of what they earn.

2. Real Middle-Income Tax Relief. Reduce the marginal tax rate of 25% down to 15%, in effect establishing a flat-rate tax of 15% for close to 9 out of 10 American workers.

3. Reduce the Business Tax Rate. Match Ireland’s rate of 12.5% to keep more jobs in America.

4. Homeowner’s Assistance. Provide tax credit incentives to responsible home buyers so they can keep their homes.

5. Control Spending So We Can Move to a Balanced Budget. This begins with eliminating Congressional earmarks and wasteful pork-barrel spending.

6. No State Aid Without Protection From Fraud. Require state governments to adopt anti-fraud and anti-theft policies before giving them more money.

7. More American Energy Now. Explore for more American oil and gas and invest in affordable energy for the future, including clean coal, ethanol, nuclear power and renewable fuels.

8. Abolish Taxes on Capital Gains. Match China, Singapore and many other competitors. More investment in America means more jobs in America.

9. Protect the Rights of American Workers. We must protect a worker’s right to decide by secret ballot whether to join a union, and a worker’s right to negotiate freely. Forced unionism will kill jobs at a time when we can’t afford to lose them.

10. Replace Sarbanes-Oxley. This failed law is crippling entrepreneurial startups. Replace it with affordable rules that help create jobs, not destroy them.

11. Abolish the Death Tax. Americans should work for their families, not for Washington.

12. Invest in Energy and Transportation Infrastructure. This includes a new, expanded electric power grid and a 21st century air traffic control system that will reduce delays in air travel and save passengers, employees and airlines billions of dollars per year.

Romney speaking at CPAC - he's on fire

Some quotes (not exact):

“Let the attorney general know that America has never been, is not now and never will be a nation of cowards!” (big applause line)

and:

“Let’s all remember that success in Iraq occurred despite President Obama’s position and votes, not because of them.”

He’s looking an awful lot like an early frontrunner for 2012.

NR’s John Derbyshire does the unthinkable, takes on talk radio

National Review’s John Derbyshire calls out talk radio in a cover story for The American Conservative, says that basically they are responsible for at least some of the problems conservatism is having right now.  Here’s one body blow (among the several in the article):

Much as their blind loyalty discredited the Right, perhaps the worst effect of Limbaugh et al. has been their draining away of political energy from what might have been a much more worthwhile project: the fostering of a middlebrow conservatism. There is nothing wrong with lowbrow conservatism. It’s energizing and fun. What’s wrong is the impression fixed in the minds of too many Americans that conservatism is always lowbrow, an impression our enemies gleefully reinforce when the opportunity arises. Thus a liberal like E.J. Dionne can write, “The cause of Edmund Burke, Leo Strauss, Robert Nisbet and William F. Buckley Jr. is now in the hands of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity. … Reason has been overwhelmed by propaganda, ideas by slogans.” Talk radio has contributed mightily to this development.

It does so by routinely descending into the ad hominem—Feminazis instead of feminism—and catering to reflex rather than thought. Where once conservatism had been about individualism, talk radio now rallies the mob. “Revolt against the masses?” asked Jeffrey Hart. “Limbaugh is the masses.”

In place of the permanent things, we get Happy Meal conservatism: cheap, childish, familiar. Gone are the internal tensions, the thought-provoking paradoxes, the ideological uneasiness that marked the early Right. But however much this dumbing down has damaged the conservative brand, it appeals to millions of Americans. McDonald’s profits rose 80 percent last year.

My take:  I think there are some inaccuracies in the article (he claims talk radio worked as apologists for Bush, when in fact they often opposed him), but the basic thrust of the article, I agree with wholeheartedly.   Many people I know have convictions which would normally be considered conservative (limited government, traditional families, etc)…but they are completely turned off by the Limbaugh/Hannity/Ingraham crowd.  Talk radio has become the face of conservatism, which is problematic for winning new converts.

Obama's address to the troops - channeling President Bush?

President Obama addressed troops in North Carolina and announced the end of combat operations by August 2010 (much later than many Democrats wanted).  Here’s a quote (this part is spoken to the people of Iraq):

Our nations have known difficult times together. But ours is a bond forged by shared bloodshed, and countless friendships among our people. We Americans have offered our most precious resource – our young men and women – to work with you to rebuild what was destroyed by despotism; to root out our common enemies; and to seek peace and prosperity for our children and grandchildren, and for yours.

Bottom line:  It’s amazing…this is an address that could have been given by President Bush.  His address was essentially an acknowledgement of the nobility of both the cause and the execution of the Iraq War.

John McCain...King of Twitter

He's going to be Twittering the "ten porkiest earmarks" of the omnibus spending bill...should be fun.

Former WA Gov. Gary Locke to Commerce - should be good for free trade

As a recent transplant to the Great Northwest, I'm not too familiar with him, but:

• The Oregonian says he'll be good for trade and good for the Northwest
  
  
• Politico says some of the work he did for China might make things difficult
  
  
• and here's a look back at Locke delivering the Democratic response to Bush's State of the Union in 2003

Maybe a really bad speech is the best thing that can happen to a Southern Governor with an eye on the Presidency

It worked for Bill Clinton...here he is in 1988, driving Democrats to tears, not with inspiration, but with boredom...

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

My impressions of President Obama and Governor Jindal tonight

President Obama:  It was a great speech.  It was strong, serious and optimistic.  Of course, it oversimplified many issues.  Of course, there were straw men built to mock his opposition.  Of course, the reality will be much more difficult than the speech.  But as political theater, it was definitely something to see.  I don't think any problems were solved tonight, but the President has gotten himself back to where people will at least look at his proposals with an open mind.  The rest is up to him (and his colleagues in Congress).  Here's hoping they chart a course in the middle, where most of the country is.

Governor Jindal:  His speech was solid, if not as lyrically soaring as Obama's.  He was smart to not respond directly to Obama's speech, but rather simply lay out the Republican philosophy of governance.  I also liked that he didn't try to defend bad behavior on the part of Republicans in the past.  Honesty is always a good thing.  It reminds me of something Robert F. Kennedy used to say...hang a light on your problems.  He closed with a strong, persuasive case for responsible, conservative leadership.

Summing up:  Both were good speeches, even though they had different styles and different goals.  But, in the end, it's not going to be speeches that make the difference in America, it's action, and ultimately Obama (and the Republicans) will be judged by results.