Why did Romney quote Thomas Paine?
When White House seeker Mitt Romney told Obama to get out the way in his Florida primary victory speech on Tuesday, he evoked the words of Thomas Paine, an early American revolutionary who is in many ways a far cry from the archetypal role model for modern-day conservatives.
After beating his Republican rivals by a wide margin, an exuberant Romney told a crowd of cheering supporters: “In another era of American crisis, Thomas Paine is reported to have said, ‘Lead, follow, or get out of the way.’ Mr. President, you were elected to lead, you chose to follow, and now it’s time for you to get out of the way!”
There is debate over whether the quote can accurately be attributed to Paine, but Romney’s intention is clear. Since the beginning of his campaign, Romney has been courting adherents of the grassroots conservative Tea Party movement, many of them constitutional purists who glorify the founding fathers. But Paine doesn’t fit in neatly with some of the other 18th century political leaders who pushed for American independence from England.
Paine, famous for his pamphlet Common Sense, repudiated Christianity, denounced concentrations of wealth and proposed an early form of social security. He left America after the American revolution and eventually became a French citizen. He returned to America after years of imprisonment in France and later died alone and poor in New York City after years of poverty, ailing health, and alcoholism.
Paine wrote the Age of Reason, a deist doctrine in which he argues against institutionalized religion and the idea that the Bible is the word of God. In another pamphlet, Agrarian Justice, he called for “a national fund, out of which there shall be paid to every person, when arrived at the age of twenty-one years, the sum of fifteen pounds sterling” and provisions for the poor.
Moreover, Paine could be interpreted as an early adherent to Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal or Lyndon B. Johnson’s Great Society economic programs. In his Rights of Man, Paine writes, “No one man is capable, without the aid of society, of supplying his own wants, and those wants, acting upon every individual, impel the whole of them into society.”
Romney isn’t the only Republican to call on the spirit of Paine. In 1980, Ronald Reagan, quoting Common Sense, told the Republican National Convention, “We have it in our power to begin the world over again.”
Washington Extra – End in sight
President Obama didn’t bite when asked by a White House reporter today if he still thought the U.S. war in Iraq was “a dumb war.” Back in 2002, he could get away with such a blunt statement. As president, and with the Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki at his side, he needed to be more subtle.
Up the two men went to Arlington Cemetery, their motorcade driving past the white grave stones of wars past and present, canon shots firing in the background, until they arrived at the Tomb of the Unknowns. A military band played both countries’ anthems, Obama stood with his hand over his heart for both songs while Maliki stood erect with his hands by his sides.
Obama said it was Maliki who wanted to go to Arlington, but it turned out to be a fitting, if somber way for Obama to close this chapter. By going to a place where the costs of war are so much in evidence, he was able to answer the “dumb war” question in a serene, statesman-like way.
Obama must feel relieved to be pulling the last troops out of Iraq by year end. There may be some celebration and even some political points to score out on the campaign trail. But today was about remembering the untold number of Iraqis and nearly 4,500 Americans who died in the war, not to mention the tens of thousands of troops wounded and maimed and the more than 1 million Americans who deployed to Iraq. Obama urged Americans and Iraqis “to build a future worthy of their sacrifice.”
Here are our top stories from Washington…
Obama says US will be loyal partner for Iraq President Barack Obama pledged that Washington would remain a strong partner for Iraq as U.S. troops exit by year-end, and played down the risk this departure creates a power vacuum Iran can exploit. The withdrawal of almost all U.S. troops from Iraq by Dec. 31 has created uncertainty at a time the region remains roiled by the Arab Spring, and amid fear Syrian instability could spread sectarian strife into neighboring Iraq.
For more of this story by Alister Bull and Jeff Mason, read here.
Team Bachmann lays out “Path to Victory”
From victory in the Iowa straw poll to lesser rival in the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Michele Bachmann may be down but don’t count her out.
The Minnesota Representative is right on track on her “Path to Victory” that began with her win in Iowa, Team Bachmann Campaign Manager Keith Nahigian says in a video outlining the campaign strategy.
From Iowa, the campaign’s path to the nomination winds through New Hampshire and South Carolina, the crucial early states in the presidential primary races.
A Tea Party conservative, Bachmann has seen her support sliding since Texas Governor Rick Perry (who also has Tea Party support) entered the Republican race and shot to the top of the polls.
On average, Bachmann has 7.5 percent support compared with 27.7 percent for Perry, the current front-runner in the Republican field, according to recent polls.
But Team Bachmann doesn’t seem all that concerned about who’s up and who’s down at this point in the race.
“This is a state-by-state marathon that we need to be able to run our own race at our own pace, and you’re going to see people come in front of us and behind us…” the campaign manager says, “But we’re on the exact path that we’ve designed, the exact path to victory.”
I believe that if she wants a path to victory she should go back to Junior High and High School to learn History and Political Science.
Every time I heard her, the only thing I thought was how could someone so ignorant of the facts get as far as she has. That probably says a lot about people supporting her at the same time.
2012 candidates woo voters on Labor Day
Labor Day is no day off for President Barack Obama and the Republicans who want his job. The holiday to pay tribute to American workers traditionally marks the start of the general election campaign. And although 15 months remain before the 2012 election, you’ll find the 2012 White House hopefuls on the road Monday hoping to score points with voters.
Democrat Obama travels to Detroit on Labor Day to talk about how to create jobs and strengthen the economy, the White House said. With U.S. unemployment steady at 9.1 percent, Reuters’ Jeff Mason writes Obama’s on the spot to boost hiring and economic growth as he campaigns for a second term in the White House.
Obama also spoke in Detroit on Labor Day 2008 as his general election race heated up against Republican presidential rival Senator John McCain.
McCain’s vice presidential running mate, Sarah Palin, is not a declared candidate, but the whole world is waiting to find out whether she’ll join the the race for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.
The former Alaska governor is the headliner at a Tea Party Express rally in Manchester, New Hampshire on Monday. Will she use her Labor Day speech to end the suspense over her intentions? Palin has indicated she’ll make a decision sometime this month. ABC News analyst Rick Klein poses the question: when Palin’s decision finally comes will she still be relevant?
Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney was greeted by a small group of Tea Party protesters at a pre-Labor day rally Sunday in Concord, New Hampshire. There was a bit of an intraparty battle over whether Romney should be invited to speak at all. Some Tea party activists who do not want him to win the Republican presidential nomination have launched an “anyone-but-Romney campaign,” The Washington Post reports. That includes the protest in New Hampshire, home of the first-in-the-nation-primary election.
Republican front-runner Rick Perry, favored by many Tea Party supporters, is concentrating his Labor Day efforts in South Carolina, another early and important primary state. The Texas governor has a town hall meeting in the morning before joining fellow Republican contenders at Senator Jim DeMint’s Palmetto Freedom Forum.
Well, “Sensibility,” if you look at the decline of the middle class in America, it parallels the decline of unions. If you think that’s success, it is you who is on the wrong side of history.
Tea party boosts Perry to top of GOP polls
Texas Governor Rick Perry has vaulted into the lead among Republicans vying for the nomination to oppose President Barack Obama’s 2012 re-election bid, according to several new polls. And he may have the Tea Party to thank for it.
A CNN/ORC International poll released Monday showed Perry strongly favored by Republicans and independent voters who lean Republican. Among the declared candidates, Perry has 32 percent support, followed by former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney at 18 percent, Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann at 12 percent, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich at 7 percent, Texas Congressman Ron Paul at 6 percent and the rest of the field in the low single digits.
This could reflect shifting allegiances among Tea Party supporters, according to Gallup, which released its own poll last week also showing that Perry had replaced Romney as the early front-runner.
Gallup said Perry leads by 21 percentage points over Romney and Bachmann, his closest contenders, although Perry and Romney are essentially tied among survey respondents who do not support the Tea Party.
“Perry has immediately become the preferred Republican nomination candidate of Tea Party movement supporters and, by extension, those who view government spending and power as the most important issue. He also demonstrates strong appeal to moral values voters, and is competitive with Romney among Republicans rating business and the economy as the most important issue,” Gallup said.
In July, 29 percent of Tea Partiers said Romney was their top choice, and 23 percent picked Bachmann.
Chris Cillizza, who writes The Washington Post’s “The Fix” blog, said the Gallup data suggest that the Tea Party has considerable power within the Republican party.
nieldevi (post above) obviously has no idea who Perry really is other than what FOX has told him. Perry is just another NEOCON/Globalist shill. Go Look at his real history.
The only candidate that tells the truth is Ron Paul – But the media wont tell you that.
Follow the Money – Who Owns and Controls the Media – Wake Up People.
Bachmann sits out Newsweek photo debate
Sexist, biased or just a bad editorial decision?
Whatever it is, White House hopeful Michele Bachmann is not engaging in the debate (at least publicly) over the appropriateness of a Newsweek cover photo of her that has generated a lot of buzz.
The only woman in the crowded field of candidates vying for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, Bachmann has remained focused on her mission, stomping in Iowa ahead of the state’s Republican Straw Poll on Saturday. (She announced more local endorsements on Tuesday.)
When the Minnesota Congresswoman and Tea Party star — whom even many of her opponents agree is photogenic — was asked about the controversial magazine cover on Monday, she simply said she had not seen it and moved on.
That might have been the end of the story for her, but Newsweek has been taking heat for the unflattering photo of a wide-eyed Bachmann with the caption “The Queen of Rage” on this week’s cover. The story inside is about Bachmann’s rise on the road to Iowa.
Critics cried “foul” and, from the opposite side of the ideological divide, the National Organization for Women came to Bachmann’s defense.
And The Christian Science Monitor asked: “Did Newsweek set out to make Michele Bachmann look like a loon? ” The CSM article included a photo gallery showing the candidate in a much nicer light.
Thank you Tina Brown…..for showing America the true “face” of Michelle Bachman. Behind it and at the top is supposed to be a brain, but their isn’t. Bachmann is a complete and total NITWIT. The photo is accurate.
Washington Extra – Her Waterloo
It takes some political derring-do to launch a presidential campaign from a town named Waterloo.
After all, in another time, on another continent, that was the locale of Napoleon’s final defeat, from which sprang the term “met his Waterloo.”
Tea Party conservative Michele Bachmann chose Waterloo, Iowa, her birthplace, to announce a run for the Republican presidential nomination. And she wasted no time in going on the offensive.
“Make no mistake about it, Barack Obama will be a one-term president,” Bachmann said.
At the moment her star is rising — a poll of Republicans in Iowa showed her almost even with Mitt Romney, and her strong performance at the New Hampshire debate got people to do a double-take.
If she is able to capture voters outside her conservative Tea Party base, then perhaps “her Waterloo” will come to mean something different.
Here are our top stories from Washington…
GOP presidential field – looking Perry promising?
With polls showing President Barack Obama beating any current 2012 Republican presidential hopeful, some party leaders are casting around for additional contenders, especially those who are well-known and might appeal more to the party’s most conservative wing.
One name that has come up repeatedly is Texas Governor Rick Perry, a conservative Republican and rising star in the Tea Party movement who fueled speculation last year that he might run for the White House by going on a national tour to publicize his book “Fed Up! Our Fight to Save America from Washington,” which takes aim at what he sees an intrusive and expansive federal government.
Perry has in the past emphatically said he will not run, but he more recently has seemed to be leaving the door slightly open by saying for now he is focused on Texas’ legislative session, which ends on May 30.
“I have said multiple times I’m not going to get distracted from my work at hand and I’m not going to get distracted today,” he said on Tuesday when he was asked if he would run.
He also is known for saying in 2009 that Texas might secede from the United States, a remark that Democrats criticized as unpatriotic, but which has endeared him to many conservatives, particularly in southern states where many Republicans are particularly hostile to Washington.
With former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee and Mississippi Governor Haley Barbour saying they will not join the 2012 Republican field, there is also appetite for a fiscal and social conservative from a southern state. The two current Republican front-runners, Mitt Romney and Tim Pawlenty, are former governors of Massachusetts and Minnesota.
Remember where Bush came from. The Ivy league, like the imposter Obama.
4 Republican hopefuls in New Hampshire find tepid Tea Party turnout
Four potential Republican presidential hopefuls showed up, but the turnout for the New Hampshire Tea Party tax day rally was rather tepid.
On a brilliant spring day in Concord, perfect for a rally, only about 300 came to protest taxes and the Obama Administration, a far cry from the robust rallies held ahead of the 2010 elections.
Tim Pawlenty and Rick Santorum — who have declared they are exploring a run for the Republican presidential nomination in 2012 — and Herman Cain and Buddy Roemer — who are considered potential hopefuls — joined state politicians in an attempt to get the crowd fired up.
Santorum, the former Pennsylvania senator, gave a thumbs up to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan’s proposed multi-trillion dollar spending cuts, but said the cuts did not go deep enough.
Local attendees noted that the gathering was about one-tenth the size of a recent rally in support of public sector unions that packed the green in front of the State House.
Michael Faiella, 64, a retired teacher from Northwood, N.H., said Tea Party loyalists might feel like they have achieved many of their goals after the last election cycle.
“I thought there would be more here. But people who would come out if they were angry are now happier,” he said.
What do you expect from a “party” that’s a publicity experiment by News Corporation? Rupert Murdoch testing whether he’s William Randolph Hearst yet. You can fool most of the people most of the time, but getting middle america to identify with billionaires and vote against our own self-interest was an overreach even for Murdoch.
As Tea Party cranks up heat on Congress, poll shows public support waning
The Tea Party is coming to Washington to turn up the heat on the Congress — just as a new poll finds that public support for it has waned.
Members of the conservative Tea Party movement plan to hold a rally on Thursday outside the U.S. Capitol, urging Republicans to stand firm in their showdown with Democrats over proposed spending cuts.
While the Tea Party helped Republicans win power in last year’s elections, nearly half of all Americans now have an unfavorable view of it, according to CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey released on Wednesday.
The Tea Party’s 47 percent unfavorablity rating is up four points since December, and represents an increase of 21 points since January 2010, the poll said.
That drops the Tea Party into the same disapproval range as the Democratic and Republican parties, whose unfavorable ratings are each 48 percent. The Tea Party’s favorable rating of 32 percent is down five points since December.
“This is the first time that a CNN poll has shown the Tea Party’s unfavorable ratings as high as those of the two major parties,” said CNN Polling Director Keating Holland.
Larry Sabato, a University of Virginia political science professor, said voters have lost patience with Washington’s inability to reinvigorate the weak U.S. economy.
Please tell me how we grew to be the greatest most prosperous and most giving nation on earth BEFORE welfare and BEFORE social security and BEFORE WIC programs, and BEFORE all the other government subsistence programs? If I make a man dependent on me, is that a good thing; is it either stated or implied in the US Constitution?
Analysis of the above broad strokes: Not a Romney fan at all. Ron Paul 2012. However, in looking at the above article, it seeks to do what many seek to do with such similar apathy to fine argument. In assailing a Single sentence that was quoted, the author brings up the Entire history of Thomas Paine, and obviously many of the darker points. I would put forth that the willingness to do so shows, quite starkly, the obtuseness of the author, and, indeed, the obtuseness of many inner mental responses that are a mere drop in the bucket of good argumentation. Not that this opinion argued anything but instead lightly suggested that…
My point being: Please put more effort into your opinion articles. It is bad enough that most folks barely gloss the media they use to form their shallow opinions they call facts, don’t encourage it with softer opinions. What did you really want to imply? That Romney quoted someone who opposes the audience he is courting? That it thereby implicates him in Thomas Payne dying a drunk? That you know they darker points of one man? I would state that it is wise to use the genius of other men, regardless of their moral or political character. Now that’s arguing something.