Presidential Candidate's Fiscal Irresponsibility

(See here) an MSNBC piece written by Andrew Taylor that discusses the fiscally irresponsible campaign promises being made by all three remaining serious candidates for the office of President.

To me, fiscal responsibility is a large issue in choosing who I would like to see become President of the United States. Let me state that out of the starting gate, I still think the candidates that I favor, John McCain on the Republican side and Hillary Clinton on the Democratic side, offer the most promise of fiscal responsibility.

The piece points out that all three, through their campaign promises, are writing checks they can not cash. However Barack Obama seems to be the most flagrant offender in this category. I have heard how some describe that Obama seems to be offering a little bit of something to just about everybody. "If elected President I promise change. One of the changes will be free beer for everybody!"

I will also note that Andrew points out that Hillary is the most successful in showing how she would pay for some of her proposals:

Clinton's campaign generally succeeds more than the others at providing offsets — revenue increases or spending cuts — to finance programs such as her plan to provide health care for all.

However I think that those who fear fiscal irresponsibility can also take some reassurance that if John McCain were to be elected President, one need not worry that he would be able to deliver on his minimal proposals. He'd extend the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy? With a Democratic majority in Congress it ain't gonna happen. Perhaps he would be successful in permanently eliminating the Alternative Minimum tax, however that is being done each year by Congress anyway (with almost unanimous support - only Blue Dog Democrats sticking to their guns and voting against this latest year's "fix").

As for Barack Obama, he does have some interesting ideas. I am particularly fond of his idea to address looming shortfalls in Social Security funding by raising the cap that limits the Social Security payroll tax to the first $102,000 of income. In my opinion it took great courage for him to even suggest such a step. However for every good idea he comes up with, he has (in my opinion) a handful of ideas that would break the bank. Barack seems to be running a campaign based on some of the worst attributes of recent members of Congress from BOTH parties. He's both "tax and spend" AND "borrow and spend" at the same time.

So here's my summary on how a successful campaign would be should any of the three remaining candidates get into office:

- John McCain: He would be unsuccessful in achieving most of the fiscally irresponsible proposals he is making as long as the Democrats continue to dominate in either branch of Congress. Most of his proposals would be Dead On Arrival from the moment he took the Oath of Office.

- Hillary Clinton: She promises some expensive changes to our society however she seems to have put some effort into thinking about how to begin to pay for some of them. While she would benefit in getting some of her proposals through Congress due to Democratic majorities in both branches of Congress, these majorities are only due to some of the new majority being Blue Dog Democrats. Blue Dogs will ensure fiscal responsibility in everything she achieves.

- Barack Obama: He is the most fiscally irresponsible candidate remaining. His proposals are so outrageous that it hard to fathom how he is going to end up with anything but an extremely disappointed electorate when he ends up being unable to fulfill nearly any of the promises he has made. If he managed to accomplish everything that he has promised, we'd end up facing record deficits that will make some of us long for the "good ole days" of the not quite as irresponsible George Dubyah Bush Presidency. My guess is that he is going to have such a long list of promises that can't be met that he will have extreme difficulty in getting anything done.

Jim Gilmore Running for Senate in Virginia

Former Virginia Governor Jim Gilmore (Republican) is running for the Senate seat being vacated by retiring Republican John Warner.

Now we have two great men that are running for the seat. Along with Jim Gilmore, former Virginia Governor Mark Warner (Democratic) is seeking the office.

I am proud that my state has two such distinguished and respected persons seeking the office. While out of the gate I lean towards Mark Warner, my vote is not guaranteed and I am looking forward to a spirited campaign. Let's explore the issues and then may the best man win!

It is worthy of mention that Jim Gilmore does face some opposition and his nomination as the Republican candidate is not yet assured, however he leads in the polls and it is my opinion that Jim would be the best candidate to represent the Republicans against Mark Warner (who is certain to get the Democratic nod).

I might be biased, living in Virginia, but I have been thinking that Jim Gilmore would also be a good fit as John McCain's running mate as the Republican ticket's Vice Presidential candidate. Jim has executive experience he gained as Virginia's Governor, his selection and serving as RNC Chairman should make him an acceptable selection for VP to most of the Republican base, and if they are not then satisfied it is just impossible to satisfy them. It is worthy of note that I heard Jim resigned from his post as RNC Chairman after he got into it with Karl Rove. That should gain him some points from some voters. Think about it. If Jim had remained and Karl had resigned earlier, perhaps the 2006 elections might have come out a little different!

Now, Jim's selection as VP candidate would involve some sacrifice on the part of Virginia Republicans because it is my opinion that only Jim would stand any real chance of victory when matched up against Mark Warner. However as an Independent I would be willing to make this sacrifice because I do not object voting for a person just because the person is a Democrat. It is my opinion that Virginia would still be well served and represented by Mark Warner. If we could get the two of them to run for different offices we might be able to get both of them into office and benefit from the services of both of these fine men.

Burger Bargains

Burger Bargains.

(See here) where msn money reports on continuing developements in the value menu wars amongst the big burger joints.

So where can a consumer get more bang for the buck when buying a burger? Thus far I will have to say the best value is obtained at McDonalds when buying the double cheese burger for a buck. Wendy's is not far behind with the new double cheese burger Stack Attack, however McDonalds still offers better value. The McDonalds' cheeseburger comes with more condiments included (the Wendy's Stack Attack does not even include pickles) and while I only suspect the McDonalds double cheeseburger has more meat, it is obvious to anyone with eyes that the Stack Attack has a tiny bun. My experience is that when I have a "healthy appetite" I can normally satisfy my hunger with three Mickey D's double cheeseburgers but with the same level of appetite I need four Stack Attacks from Wendys to get a full belly.

Burger King might soon have an entry that could seize the top prize. The msn money piece reports that the Burger King double cheeseburger will be 30% larger then the McDonald's offering. Left unstated is that I would imagine it will be flame broiled as well. It's about time Burger King started offering good value. All the Burger King value menu items up till now have left something to be desired. My only question is this, will the BK double cheese burger come with the condiments or will the 30% increased size come with a sacrifice of the pickles and ketchup or something? Thus far the BK double cheeseburgers are only available in select markets.

Calling All Moderates

Calling all moderates!

Victory in the Presidential Primaries is within our grasp. We might actually end up having two highly qualified candidates to choose between come November, however in these next critical days we need to act.

While some independent moderates might be tempted to presume the McCain candidacy is guaranteed, I would ask you to consider what would happen if Mike Huckabee makes a strong showing tomorrow in the scheduled primaries. With a strong showing, the extreme right wing of the Republican Party might start thinking they have an alternative to John. They might circle the wagons around the more ideologically pure Huckabee. The momentum could then shift to Huckabee and we would then be faced with Huckabee representing the Republican Party. Huckabee can't overcome the odds? Well who was willing to take the Giants without the point spread in the Superbowl and who ended up winning? Do not underestimate the threat to the McCain campaign from the Huckabee campaign now that Romney is out of the picture. Tomorrow McCain needs to dampen the rush towards Huckabee.

But what about the Democratic primary? Personally I could live with either of the two Democratic candidates that stand a chance of winning the nomination being elected President. It is my opinion that if the Democratic Party wants a Democrat to be elected as president, they had better nominate Hillary. It is my appraisal that Barack will be unable to withstand the barrage of half truths that he will be facing once he is the official standard bearer. I would be willing to bet better then even money that McCain would win if faced with a Democratic nomination of Barack Obama. Against Mike Huckabee, the odds makers would have to give me better odds that Mike could come out the winner when faced by Obama, but the odds would not need to be that much less then even money. The Obama campaign is going to face that much difficulty when the half truths start to be brought up about his upbringing. The overwhelming support he enjoys from the African-American community will probably even be eroded.

So what do we have to do? We need to be sure that come 2009 we get someone we can live with sitting making the decisions in the Oval Office. Tomorrow we throw our support behind John McCain. Once we push John over the top, we can concentrate on the Democratic nomination.

Now, it is my understanding that left leaning moderates have been trending towards supporting Barack Obama thus far in the primaries. Understand this. Barack Obama is going to have a strong showing tomorrow no matter how you vote. Momentum is already going to be his come Wednesday morning. However there are reasons to reasonably doubt Barack will ever occupy the Oval Office and these reasons go beyond the color of his skin. If the victor is going to end up being a Republican, which Republican candidate do you want it to be?

Remember moderates, the victor come November not only needs to keep his/her base but win a majority of the squishy center. I'm thinking that much of the squishy center is going to end up turning against Barack down the line once he faces serious opposition from the right wing.

Once we push John McCain over the top we can concentrate on attempting to assist the Democratic base to choose a competitive candidate.

Now, let me fully explain my agenda. My agenda is to get candidates from both parties that are capable of rushing towards the center. It is my opinion that Hillary Clinton and John McCain possess the potential of best being able to survive the rush to the center. Both candidates could remain competitive while they attempt to prove how they are the more centrist candidate... and thus potentially be able to come even further towards the center.

As for Democratic leaning moderates who prefer Obama, let me state that it is my opinion that an Obama candidacy is apt to result in a Republican victory come November. While you might prefer Barack understand that just because he wins the Democratic nomination does not mean he would automatically win the general election. He is going to be facing spirited and often dirty opposition. If your preferred candidate ends up losing, who do you want the victor to be?

John McCain tomorrow. We can decide who represents the Democrats afterwards. Neither an Obama or Clinton candidacy would be a disaster if either should ultimately win, however a Huckabee candidacy could result in serious disaster.

Calling all moderates!

These Wonderful Presidential Primaries

These wonderful Presidential Primaries.

Please excuse me as I chortle with delight about how the Presidential primaries have been going.

On the Republican side: while still not possessing a lock, John McCain is starting to look certain to be the Republican nominee.

On the Democratic side: Hillary Clinton (whom I prefer) and Barack Obama are running neck and neck. I will be delighted with either of these candidates winning the nomination.

Looking ahead:

Since John McCain looks to eventually be the official Republican standard bearer, it is probably not too early to start taking into consideration what the impact will be of who is selected to be his Vice-Presidential running mate. Due to John's age, the person selected to be ready to seize the reigns as Commander In Chief will be even more critical then normal. Rather then selecting someone to "round out the ticket" John is going to have to nominate someone like himself to reassure some of us voters (like myself) that the person making the decisions from the Oval Office for the next four years is someone we trust.

The Democratic nominee is far from being as certain. While I can state that I might find it possible to ultimately cast my vote for either of the two possible eventual nominees, I think there is still time to express my opinion as to which possible candidate would be the better of the two. First, let me state that there is little difference between the candidates positions on the issues. If you wish to split hairs, you can find some differences. However debating these differences is like splitting hairs indeed. The real difference between the two is which of the two candidates is apt to deliver on the positions the campaign on? My judgement? Although both candidates have only a short Congressional record to point to and judge upon, one has a proven track record of being capable of reaching across the aisle and including the opposition leadership in legislative proposals while the other does not. Hillary Clinton has the proven track record of reaching across the aisle while Barack Obama does not.

It has been the recent history within the beltway for polarized, partisan bickering that prevents anything meaningful and substantial being accomplished. The electorate wants change. Who can provide the change? Some think that Barack Obama will be the more uncompromising standard bearer for change while Hillary Clinton, the person who has the proven ability to compromise and bring about change, is dismissed because of this demonstrated capability.

For those in favor of Barack Obama, I have this question. What makes you think Barack is going to be more able to overcome filibusters in the Senate then Hillary Clinton will be? Hillary has the proven ability to work with the opposition to arrive at solutions. Barack does not. It is because of the demonstrated capability of working with the opposition for why I prefer Hillary (and for why I preferred John McCain). Barack has served long enough in the Senate to have demonstrated the same potential, however he has failed to provided any evidence that he can do so.

Do you want change or do you want an uncompromising Democratic President who is incapable of getting anything done?

It is my opinion that Hillary Clinton is the possible Democratic candidate who can bring about the most change, while compromising, while Barack, if he should be the nominee and then general election victor, could be the uncompromising President who fails to get anything done.

Hillary has the experience to reach the understanding that even the President of the United States is not a dictator. That under the American system, it is necessary to work with the opposition to get anything done.

Barack Obama can campaign upon Pie in the Sky if he wants, but it is Hillary's proven ability to compromise, which I think she developed from her years of experience near the helm of our government, that presents the largest potential to put your piece of the pie on your dinner table. Look at their Senate records. Let their records in the Senate speak for themselves.

While I, too, might prefer Barack Obama over Hillary on certain issues (when I start splitting hairs) I then must analyze which candidate has the potential to actually achieve some of the changes that are being promised. If Democratic voters really want change, they probably will be better served by a Hillary Clinton nomination and potential Hillary Presidency then by nominating Barack even if he were to win the general election.