Maureen Dowd, "Egghead and Blockheads": America Headed for No Desirable Choice in 2012?

In her latest op-ed "Egghead and Blockheads" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/18/opinion/sunday/dowd-egghead-and-blockheads.html?partner=rssnyt&emc=rss), Maureen Dowd compares the plot line of the 1962 film "The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance" with the duel she envisages for the 2012 presidential election:

"At the cusp of the 2012 race, we have a classic cultural collision between a skinny Eastern egghead lawyer who’s inept in Washington gunfights and a pistol-totin’, lethal-injectin’, square-shouldered cowboy who has no patience for book learnin’."

Obama is "inept in Washington gunfights"? Sorry, Maureen, but given what we know at this early stage of the Solyndra scandal, I think you could have shortened the sentence to "inept in Washington," or shorter still, "inept."

I also hate to break the news to Maureen, but we have yet to see the results of a single primary. Sure, there have been polls, but the Republican convention is months away, and Perry is less than a shoo-in as his past antics become better known to the national electorate.

Dowd would have us believe that "Republicans are now the 'How great is it to be stupid?' party." She concludes:

"So we’re choosing between the overintellectualized professor and blockheads boasting about their vacuity?

The occupational hazard of democracy is know-nothing voters. It shouldn’t be know-nothing candidates."

I agree that the current Republican field of presidential candidates induces stupefaction: If the Republicans were only to nominate someone of substance, the presidency would be theirs for the taking. However, I also don't think it's fair to label the likes of Bobby Jindal (accepted by both Harvard Medical School and Yale Law School, and ultimately a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford) as a "blockhead." Paul Ryan and Chris Christie are also no dunderheads, yet not one of these three young men is willing to step forward and offer America a viable alternative to the change we once believed in.

Sad, yet can you blame them?

[As kindly observed by a reader, Mitt Romney received simultaneous JD and MBA degrees from Harvard, graduating with honors from the law school and finishing as a Baker Scholar at the business school. He is obviously no "blockhead."]

David Brooks, "President Rick Perry?": Romney and Obama Face Serious Threats

In today's New York Times, Rick Perry is the focus of the columns of both Paul Krugman (see: http://jgcaesarea.blogspot.com/2011/08/paul-krugmans-bernankes-perry-problem.html) and David Brooks. But whereas Krugman addresses the effect of Perry upon Federal Reserve policy, Brooks, in his op-ed entitled "President Rick Perry?" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/26/opinion/brooks-president-rick-perry.html?ref=opinion), describes fundamental shifts in the US electorate which have allowed Perry to become the Republican front-runner within days of announcing his candidacy for president.

Observing Perry's double-digit lead over Romney in multiple polls, Brooks suggests that Romney could counterattack by emphasizing Perry's slipperiness:

"Romney could accuse Perry of being the latest iteration of Tom DeLay Republicanism. On the one hand, he is ideologically slippery. The man who sounds so right wing today was the Texas chairman of the Al Gore for President campaign in 1988. The man who now vows to appoint only anti-abortion officials to relevant administration jobs endorsed Rudy Giuliani four short years ago. On the other hand, he is unwavering in his commitment to the government-cash nexus. Even this week — amid much attention to his pay-to-play proclivities — Perry named two big donors to powerful state jobs."

Yeah, right. And Perry won't observe Romney's waffling positions on abortion, gay marriage, gun control, and health care. Sorry, but Mitt never did stand a chance, except when positioned against the likes of Newt Gingrich, Ron Paul, Sarah Palin, Herman Cain, and Donald Trump.

Brooks also informs us that Obama should be worried:

"So, yes, it is time to take Perry seriously as a Republican nominee and even as a potential president. Until a few weeks ago, Perry trailed Obama in general election matchups. But as Perry’s name recognition has increased, that has changed. He and Obama are neck and neck in a recent Gallup poll."

Indeed, Obama, who has also amply demonstrated his slipperiness, e.g., gay marriage, Afghanistan and the Armenian Genocide, can start packing if the economy doesn't improve.

Me? I will never understand how a president, once considered the most liberal US senator, stands to be dethroned after four years by someone diametrically opposed to his values. Apparently, the pendulum must swing, and regrettably it cannot stop in the middle.

New York Times Editorial, "Gov. Perry’s Cash Machine": Note the Timing

In an editorial entitled "Gov. Perry’s Cash Machine" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/25/opinion/gov-rick-perrys-cash-machine.html?_r=1&hp), The New York Times today slams Texas Governor Rick Perry for an alleged abuse of the spoils system:

"There are nearly 600 boards, commissions, authorities and departments in Texas, many of which are of little use to the public and should have long been shut down or consolidated. They are of great use to the governor, who more than any predecessor has created thousands of potential appointments for beneficent backers and several pro-business funds that have been generous to allies.

Since 2001, more than a fifth of the $83 million that Mr. Perry has raised for his gubernatorial campaigns has come from people he appointed to state boards and commissions, according to a study by Texans for Public Justice, a watchdog group."

Query: What are "potential appointments"?

In related news, on August 24 Gallup informed us, "Twenty-nine percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents nationwide say they are most likely to support Perry, with Mitt Romney next, at 17%" (http://www.gallup.com/poll/149180/Perry-Zooms-Front-Pack-2012-GOP-Nomination.aspx).

Also in related news, the "Gallup Daily: Obama Job Approval" poll for August 21-23, 2011 (http://www.gallup.com/poll/113980/gallup-daily-obama-job-approval.aspx) showed that the president's approval rating has fallen to 39% (its lowest ever), while his disapproval rating has risen to 53% (its highest ever).

Governor Perry obviously has the editorial board of the Times worried.

Regarding the substance of the Times editorial, I have no information concerning this alleged abuse of power by Governor Perry. However, I also take no comfort when examining the list of Obama's top donors in 2008, which included Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, UBS, and Morgan Stanley (see: http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/contrib.php?cycle=2008&cid=n00009638).

Which system of raising campaign funds is cleaner? You decide.

Charles Blow, "Obama in the Valley": The Robot President

In his latest New York Times op-ed entitled "Obama in the Valley" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/20/opinion/blow-obama-in-the-valley.html?_r=1&hp), Charles Blow, an Obama loyalist from the Times op-ed page, also appears ready to defect. Observing the robotic quality of the current leading Republican contenders for the presidency (Bachmann, Perry and Romney), Blow tells us that he never expected to sense this eerie mechanical feeling from the president:

"But one person I never thought would fall into this valley was Barack Obama, the charismatic candidate who electrified the electorate in 2008 and whom many saw as the fulfillment of the dream of the even-more-electrifying Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Yet here Obama is, down in the valley, struggling to connect with the American people and failing, increasingly coming across as dispassionate to some and outright revolting to others."

Blow calls upon the president to rise to the economic and foreign affairs crisis, and concludes:

"A robotic Sustainer-in-Chief with an eerie inhumanity will not satisfy."

"Sustainer-in-Chief"? I prefer Procrastinator-in-Chief, but be that as it may, I propose a simple solution to humanize Obama:

Unplug him from the Axelrod teleprompter.

This might reveal the president to be inexperienced and confused, as he no longer looks left, then right, for scripted text. On the other hand, when he stutters and stumbles, as he will, we'll know he's no longer an android of Axelrod's making.

By the way, if you're looking for something other than a robot, consider the combative, in-your-face Chris Christie. Like him or not, there can be no mistaking Christie for a robot.

Maureen Dowd's "Field of Dashed Dreams": Maybe Michelle Should Negotiate With the Republicans

Mitt Romney is no longer seriously in the running in 2012. As announced by the Rasmussen Reports (http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2012/election_2012_presidential_election/gop_primary_perry_29_romney_18_bachmann_13):

"The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey of Likely Republican Primary voters, taken Monday night, finds Perry with 29% support. Romney, the former Massachusetts governor who ran unsuccessfully for the GOP presidential nomination in 2008, earns 18% of the vote, while Bachmann, the Minnesota congresswoman who won the high-profile Ames Straw Poll in Iowa on Saturday, picks up 13%."

The significance? Reference by New York Times columnists Gail Collins and Maureen Dowd to Seamus, the Irish Setter, driven by Romney from Boston to Ontario in a dog carrier strapped to the roof of his station wagon, will likely end. Collins and Dowd will need to find new material for their comedy routines.

And Maureen Dowd is indeed hustling up such material from Iowa, where, writing from Peosta without a mention of Romney, she quips in her latest op-ed entitled "Field of Dashed Dreams" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/17/opinion/field-of-dashed-dreams.html?_r=1&hp):

"In Cannon Falls, Minn., the president compared negotiating with House Republicans to negotiating with his wife.

In my house," Obama noted, "if I said, ‘You know, Michelle, honey, we got to cut back, so we’re going to have you stop shopping completely. You can’t buy shoes; you can’t buy dresses; but I’m keeping my golf clubs.’ You know, that wouldn’t go over so well."

In Decorah, he said: "Everybody cannot get 100 percent of what they want. Now, for those of you who are married, there is an analogy here. I basically let Michelle have 90 percent of what she wants. But, at a certain point, I have to draw the line and say, ‘Give me my little 10 percent.’ ”

Maybe Michelle should be the one negotiating with the Republicans.

Maureen also refers to Obama's interchange with an Iowa mother named Emily:

“Now, I know that people would like to say ‘Well, just do something to get these guys under control,’” he told Emily, adding: “You don’t want to reward unreasonableness. Look, I get that. But sometimes you’ve got to make choices in order to do what’s best for the country at that particular moment.”

The answer must have seemed lame even to Obama because, on the spur of the moment, he felt backed into doing what many in his White House and party wish he had done long ago. He told Emily he would put forward “a very specific plan to boost the economy, to create jobs and to control our deficit.” (But not until September.)

Already campaigning and abandoning the nettlesome job of governing, Obama has unwittingly informed the populace of his inability to strike favorable bargains when seeking compromise solutions with tough negotiating partners, be it his wife or House Republicans. Given this submissive attitude, Obama's bow to King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia and his inability to contend with Ahmadinejad, president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, should come as no surprise. Obama is blessed with oratorical gifts, but never learned to lead.

The difference in style between Obama and new Republican frontrunner Perry is not lost on Ms. Dowd, who observes in her column Perry's unwarranted attack upon Federal Reserve chairman Bernanke. As I have observed in prior blog entries, rash characterizations of political opponents are apt to lead to violence, and Perry's conduct was entirely unwarranted, but as yet there has been no apology from the governor of Texas.

Obama against Perry in 2012? Is this the best America has to offer? Why can't it be Hillary (or Michelle) against Chris Christie? I, too, have my dashed dreams of competent leadership in the White House.

Obama Inaugurates Negative Campaign

With an anemic economy showing few signs of recovery and almost no achievements under his belt, other than nabbing bin Laden, Obama is expected to wage a "negative" reelection campaign, focusing on the faults of his opponents. As such, the initial salvo fired by Obama's political strategist, David Axelrod, in response to the Republicans' debate on Thursday (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20091630-503544.html), came as no surprise:

"Axelrod, in an appearance on CBS' 'The Early Show,' blasted the candidates' performances in Thursday night's Republican debate, and took particular aim on the eight Republicans' unanimously expressed opposition to accepting tax increases as part of a deal to reduce the deficit.

. . . .

Axelrod also took aim at Texas Governor Rick Perry, who is expected to make clear his intention to run for president in a South Carolina speech on Saturday. Perry was not present at the Thursday debate - nor is he on the ballot for Saturday's straw poll - but he is likely to emerge as an immediate frontrunner if and when he does get into the race.

When asked to comment on Perry's criticism of President Obama's jobs record, Axelrod noted that 'he's also called for secession from the United States of America and all kinds of other things.'"

I have no affinity for any of the current Republican candidates, but it is sad to think that the Democrats' 2012 focus will be on mud slinging as opposed to 2008's "change we can believe in."

Gail Collins, "The Coyote Candidate": Rick Perry Meets The New York Times Quixote Columnist

New York Times columnist Gail Collins is on a quest: to discredit every Republican presidential hopeful prior to November 2012. In her column today entitled "The Coyote Candidate" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/28/opinion/28collins.html?hp), she matches wits with Republican Governor Rick Perry of Texas:

"He’s from the South, and he has great hair! What more could you want?

. . . .

Perry! Perry! Perry!

. . . .

So who is this man called Rick? He is, in his own words, 'the kind of guy who goes jogging in the morning packing a Ruger .380 with laser sights and loaded with hollow point bullets, and shoots a coyote that is threatening his daughter’s dog.' That really happened. In fact, it was possibly the high point of Perry’s political career.

You can see the attraction. Try to imagine the Republican convention being asked to choose between Mitt Romney, who once drove to Canada with the family dog strapped to the roof of his car, and the guy who shot a puppy-eating coyote."

Where have we heard this before? Hint: See her April 15th column "Mitt! Mitt! Mitt!" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/16/opinion/16collins.html), in which she writes:

"Also, there is not a single mention in 'No Apology' of the fact that Romney once drove to Canada with the family Irish setter strapped to the roof of the car."

Now examine her May 13th column, "Presidential Primary Book Club" (http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/14/opinion/14collins.html), which begins:

"Newt! Newt! Newt!"

So what are we to learn from this?:

1. Gail is obsessed with hair.
2. Gail is obsessed with dog stories.
3. When going into battle, Gail recites the names of her opponents three times (that, or she is desperate to reach a prescribed word count or has started to lose her memory).

But let's cut straight to the chase: While Collins busies herself with tripe, the most recent CNN research poll (http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2011/images/05/27/rel9a.pdf) places Rudolph Giuliani at the top of the list of possible Republican presidential candidates. Of Republicans polled, 50% said that they would not like to see Perry run for the Republican nomination for president.

Which probably means that we will soon see a new Collins column entitled "Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!"

I don't know if she will be able to dredge up any dog stories concerning Giuliani, but it is unlikely that she will be able to poke fun at his "presidential" hair.