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24 Oct 2011 22:37

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Politics: Rick Perry’s spin on a tax plan: “Cut, Balance and Grow”

  • Cut, Balance and Grow strikes a major blow against the Washington-knows-best mindset. It takes money from spendthrift bureaucrats and returns it to families. It puts fewer job-killing regulations on employers and more restrictions on politicians. It gives more freedom to Americans to control their own destiny. And just as importantly, the Cut, Balance and Grow plan paves the way for the job creation, balanced budgets and fiscal responsibility we need to get America working again.
  • Rick Perry • Discussing his new plan for taxes, “Cut, Balance and Grow,” which has a name clearly worded to evoke the “Cut, Cap and Balance” plan that House Republicans tried to push through earlier this year. Perry’s plan, in simple terms: An optional 20 percent flat tax, with benefits for lower-income people who would not necessarily benefit from such a flat tax. Don’t like it? Keep your current tax rate. Unlike Herman Cain’s 999 Plan, this might actually have a shot at getting through Congress. And would you look at that? Right on cue, Perry suddenly has an endorsement from Steve Forbes, the guy who banked his entire campaign on the flat tax — twice! Cain’s gonna have some gimmicky tax plan competition at the next debate. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

24 Oct 2011 10:33

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Politics: Mitt Romney on Rick Perry: I would vote for him, if he stood a chance

  • If Rick Perry were the nominee, I’d be voting for him. I believe every single person on the stage in that last debate would do a better job than president Obama.
  • Mitt Romney • Claiming, during an interview over the weekend, that he would vote for Rick Perry, the man he savaged during last week’s debate. But would Rick vote for Mitt? SUSPENSE! source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Oct 2011 11:43

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Politics: Herman Cain, to Michigan crowd: For the poor, it’s not 999, it’s 909

  • If you are at or below the poverty level, your plan isn’t 9-9-9, it is 9-0-9. Say amen y’all. 9-0-9.
  • Herman Cain • Claiming that his much-talked-about 999 plan was intended to always be income-tax-free for the poor. 909? Isn’t nearly as catchy now, is it? Cain made this statement in Detroit on Friday, which plays into some of the criticism his campaign has gotten — that he’s not focusing on the states that will help him win the early primaries. Earlier this month, Karl Rove put this point succinctly: “He needs to get his bus to Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, Florida and Nevada. If he doesn’t break through there — and to break through there, you’ve got to show up, particularly in the first three.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Oct 2011 11:09

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Politics: Marco Rubio’s back-and-forth with the Washington Post does draw blood

  • first The Washington Post published an article that punched holes in Florida Sen. Marco Rubio’s life story — saying that his parents left Cuba before the 1959 revolution.
  • then Rubio responded in an op-ed for Politico: “The essence of my family story is why they came to America in the first place,” he wrote, “and why they had to stay.”
  • now But the article did lead to some changes. Though Rubio shot back against the article, in the end, his staff changed the bio on his Web site to reflect the Post’s article. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Oct 2011 15:36

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Politics: Nevada backs down on primary, gets better hotel rooms in exchange

  • We just basically want to be the adults in the room here. This is not a matter of New Hampshire being a bully or telling us what to do. It’s a matter of Nevada doing what needs to be done for Nevada.
  • Nevada GOP chairwoman Amy Tarkanian • Discussing why the state decided to move its primary date back to February 4, after facing massive criticism, boycotts and a Jon Huntsman no-show at a recent debate, for setting their primary on January 14. Probably a good idea, Nevada, but one they came to with some perks to sweeten the deal — including prime hotel space at the Republican National Convention next year. Enjoy the minibar, guys! That’s what you get for taking the high road. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Oct 2011 20:01

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Politics: Stumpin’ in Sin City: Three things to look for in tonight’s debate

  • Hello, and welcome to yet another GOP debate! YAY WE’RE SO EXCITED! Hopefully Anderson Cooper won’t screw this up (don’t take any tips from Wolf Blitzer, bro). Here are a few things to look for during tonight’s debate:
  • Herman Cain …has the most to gain, and the most to lose. He could solidify his standing as the co-frontrunner and anti-Romney candidate by giving thoughtful answers to substantive policy questions, but if he’s caught flat-footed, it’ll confirm to many that he is, in fact, the (pizza-toned) flavor of the week.
  • Mitt Romney …has so far been able to coast along simply by not screwing up, but this debate could be different. Given Cain’s momentum, Romney will have to go at least somewhat on the offensive, or risk getting flattened by The Cain Train. It’ll be interesting to see whether he goes all-out against Cain.
  • Rick Perry…could, in theory, make a comeback tonight. But that was true about the last debate, too, where he not only failed to capitalize on the opportunity, but didn’t even really seem to care about capitalizing on it. On the plus side, his performance will likely be hailed as a success if he doesn’t fall asleep at the podium.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

17 Oct 2011 22:01

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Politics: $1 trillion or bust: Ron Paul would take a giant slash out of the deficit

  • $1 trillion in budget cuts offered up by Ron freaking Paul
  • five number of agencies Paul would get rid of with these budget cuts
  • 30% size of the cuts Paul would push on the EPA with his budget cuts
  • zero number of wars Paul would fund after he got his cuts through source
  • » The biggest cut? Presidential salary: If Paul were president, he would cut his salary to $39,000 — the median salary for U.S. citizens. That’s a big downgrade from the standard $400,000-per-year salary and actually less than we make from our job. That would be a huge symbolic gesture, if you ask us.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

16 Oct 2011 11:15

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Politics: Herman Cain, deeply tied to the Koch brothers? Say it ain’t so!

  • Cain allegedly has deep ties to the Koch-funded Americans for Prosperity. The currently-soaring presidential candidate has built up his base with GOP voters through an image that he’s a non-politician who’s not beholden to anyone (and makes a good pizza). But Cain has a history with the controversy-laden Koch brothers that he does not promote very heavily — at least not as heavily as his business career. The Associated Press’s article on Cain’s deep ties to Americans for Prosperity found some fairly surprising things:
  • surface Cain has a campaign manager, as well as a number of campaign aides, who once worked for Americans for Prosperity.
  • deeper Rich Lowrie, the apparent Sim City player behind Cain’s easy-to-follow 999 plan, served on AFP’s board of advisors from 2005 to 2008.
  • deepest Cain himself built up AFP in 2005 and 2006, collaborating with Mark Block to build local chapters throughout the country. source
  • » Ties that still stand: While Cain no longer gets paid for his appearances with AFP (he used to, before he started running for president), he is still active with the group. For example, Cain will speak at an AFP event in DC on November 4, despite the fact that most of the other presidential candidates will be at a dinner in Iowa. The caucus is in Iowa; what’s this guy doing in Washington? Wait a second! (photo by Flickr user Gage Skidmore)
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Oct 2011 11:49

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Politics: Why are some of the GOP candidates threatening to boycott Nevada?

  • what A number of GOP candidates — including Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich — have threatened to boycott the Nevada primary. Jon Huntsman went a step further, promising to boycott Tuesday’s Nevada-based debate.
  • why Nevada is attempting to gain influence on the primaries by pushing their primary up to mid-January, meaning New Hampshire would have to hold theirs in December to ensure that theirs is still the first one. In effect, it gives weaker candidates less time. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Oct 2011 10:23

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Politics: Frontrunner? Herman Cain leapfrogs Romney in new 2012 poll

And it’s a big leap, too: Cain is at a solid 27 percent in the NBC News/WSJ poll, with Romney at 23 percent and Perry way behind with 16 percent. This despite the fact that Romney won handily on Tuesday. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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