It'll Be A Grand Election

Let me be up front, and say straight out that I'm voting for Mitt Romney.  Will Mitt win? Who knows? I can only hope.

But the arguments I hear the candidates making strike me as amusing.  Obama's handlers were about to bring out the Bain cannon against Mitt only to have Corey Booker pull the rug out from under them.  You can't help but love Mayor Booker.

The whole Bain thing is nonsense.  Does it qualify the head of such a venture capital operation to be president?  Of, and by itself, no.  Still it's lots more impressive than being a community organizer.
Also, it suggests that you have a grasp of how business works, something where Obama seems to draw a blank.

Then there's the thing about Mitt having been governor of Massachusetts and how his record there seems to run counter to many of the issues he's now running on.  So?  States have different problems, different challenges, different constituents than the federal government has.  Mitt grasped that and served with distinction as the governor.  Compare that to Obama's brief tenure as a Senator, where most of his votes were marked with the simple declaration, "present."

The Republicans seem to have lots more guts when it comes to economic plans for the future.  Obama's commission (Simpson Bowles) showed the path America had to follow in fiscal matters.  Did Obama support their conclusions and use them to begin fashioning legislation?  No.  Paul Ryan put forth legislation in the House and got it passed.  So what have the Democrats done?  You hear these rumors that Obama and Boehner had a deal which the Tea Party shot down.  Really?  I'm sorry, but I'm old fashioned; show me some documents.

Whatever fiscal plan ultimately emerges, it will produce some pain.  The Republicans are up front on this (as were Simpson and Bowles).  But, not Obama.  He would have you believe that if you just tax millionaires and billionaires more heavily, we'll be out of the woods.  Oh, if it were only that easy.  Sure, taxes should be fair and there are a lot of loop holes that should be closed.  And, that, by the way, will extract money more surely from millionaires and billionaires than simply raising taxes.

And, finally, there is the question of stimulus vs. austerity.  Without tying it to a time frame, it becomes a  pointless discussion.  Stepping on the brakes sharply with severe austerity can cause needless damage to the economy.  But, mindless stimulation, with no plan to rein in entitlements will surely cause the economy to fall off a cliff.  The only difference between Greece and us is that we're bigger.

With all his advisors, Obama must know this, but he lacks the guts to explain it to the public.