Archive for FIOTM

The Irrationality of Moderation

Posted by: Jason | July 26th, 2008 · 4:19 AM

If politics is indeed the art of compromise, than we wouldn’t admire names such as Lincoln, Roosevelt, and Reagan. Comparing the latter two of these American presidents, whose names will forever dominate our historical view of twentieth century politics, we would certainly find discrepancies in philosophy, leadership style, and in the challenges they each faced during their presidencies.

But of course, we would also find many commonalities between these men. As much as Roosevelt’s New Deal was considered radical, as was Reagan’s insistence on boldly calling the Soviet Union an evil empire, or the suspension of habeas corpus under the Lincoln administration controversial, these men shared in their ability to refuse compromise of their core principals.

As children, we’re taught to excel in all areas of life, whether it be sports or academics. At the workplace, we value the well being of our associates, but know that our own accomplishments are paramount to the survival of our families. In our own personal lives, to compromise in our faithfulness to our wives or time spent with our children is shunned upon.

Concerning the smaller things in life, like deciding which restaurant to eat at or which movie to see, compromise is certainly appropriate. But who would argue the virtue in tolerating things like one of our children failing in school, a verbally abusive manager at work, or relating to politics, a law that we consider devoid of justice or morality.

Political moderation is arguably the most harmful of these examples, because as politics defines the government that controls us, the lives of entire nations are affected. In recent American politics, there is no greater example of this than in our current government. And if there is one lesson to be learned from the Bush Administration, it is that moderation produces failure.

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The Return of George Allen

Posted by: Ion | August 27th, 2007 · 11:42 AM

I had an uncomfortable feeling that we hadn’t seen the last of George Allen. So I wasn’t too surprised to read the former Virginia Senator is in the midst of a potential comeback effort. He’s got a blog, he (maybe) has a radio show, is said to be “focused” on Virginia politics…and is as mawkish as ever. Check out this dopey quote from Allen while interviewing Fred Thompson:

“I’ve always looked at you as a genuine person, very sincere and very thoughtful,” said Allen, who introduced Thompson in part as “a man who understands NASCAR and country music.”
(The Swamp via PajamasMedia)

Ugh.

You know, there’s a bit of divide on Allen in the GOP. Some Republicans gobble this meaningless FIOTM pabulum up, others see it as having a profound phoniness to it. We’re of the later sort here at PP as you may know. Every time Allen goes for the down-home sentimentality card, it always strikes me as affectation.

Update: Here’s a bit of fortuitous timing by the way. John Warner is evidently contemplating retirement from the Senate. Truth be told, Allen would be a substantial improvement.

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Gilmore’s Vacuous? Remember Allen.

Posted by: Ion | July 10th, 2007 · 5:38 PM

Got an email from Jason a moment ago. He was ranting about the Jim Gilmores of the world. Those impossible tertiary candidates allegedly running for the Republican nomination, who only serve to clutter up the stage at debates.

But, as Jas reminds us, it could be far, far worse. We could have a genuine FIOTM candidate on our hands.

We’re lucky though man… Could you imagine this race with George Allen in it? Allen would be leading the polls, talking about [FIOTM]… We’d nominate Bush II and lose the election by 20 points after those dreadful cowboy pics came out.
(Jason)

Tru dat.

Speaking of Allen, have you seen this hilarious fanboy site for him? Note the date and content of the last post.

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The First Debate, Some Thoughts

Posted by: Jason | May 4th, 2007 · 9:24 AM

(image: msn)

First initial reaction… Please God, let Fred Thompson run for president.

OK, now that I got that out, allow me to deliver the good news. The Republican Party had a decent discussion of issues like life, Iran, and taxes. The bad news? None of these men would make a good president. The really bad news? The leading candidates provide us with dismal choices, challenging my mind to even understand why they are running in the Republican Party. Rudy McRomney, or the Three Amigos as we call them here, were pathetic, and need to be stopped at once.

I’m just going to go down the line.

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Quote of the Week: Joe Biden

Posted by: Jason | April 1st, 2007 · 9:15 AM

Don’t ask… I’ll make up for this by giving you a bonus quote. I found these to be quite amusing, concerning Biden’s regular positions on camera against the war.

“Look, freedom is an overwhelming American notion. The idea that we want to see the world, the peoples of the world free is something that all of us subscribe to.“

“The Middle East is hopeful. There’s hope there.”

Senator Joe Biden

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Sunday Shows

Posted by: Jason | · 8:34 AM

Just a focus on Fox News and Matthews for now…

Biden appeared with McConnell to debate the firing of the US attorneys as well as funding for the troops and Iran. Obviously by seeing the names, I don’t have to spell out the positions. Typical senators.

On Iran, there was some news. Biden endorsed the president’s handling of Iran, which was refreshing to see considering I had forgotten that the Bush administration has done some things right too. Maybe the rest of the media could pick up on this.

On Matthews… what’s new? No important stories, just election campaigns a year before any primaries take place. Joe Klein argues that the president has hurt the Republican Party as much as Reagan helped it, and that “this is what you get when you’re a party that only talks about reducing government”. I’m guessing Klein hasn’t actually tracked the size of government lately.

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Rudy Giuliani’s “Secret Weapon”

Posted by: Ion | March 13th, 2007 · 9:44 PM

I’ll bet you didn’t know this about Amigo Rudy:

“His secret weapon among Republicans is his utter fearlessness and devastating effectiveness in deconstructing liberal orthodoxy,” said the strategist, Wheaton’s Dan Curry.
(DailyHerald)

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Uncle Rudy

Posted by: Jason | February 28th, 2007 · 11:15 AM

Most people think of terms like character, resolve, and management skill, when describing the assets that Rudy Giuliani might bring to the presidency. His bravery and poise during the 9/11 tragedy will be permanently etched into our minds forever. But I would like to add another term to this list, empty.

True, it’s not something that we hear about Rudy all that much. But it’s a word that I’m beginning to associate with his campaign speeches as of late. I’ll explain…

We all have that know-it-all uncle that sort of speaks to us in constant generalities. The kind of guy that says things like “I don’t trust that Bush… he’ll give all our money to Exxon”, while having absolutely zero details to back a claim this broad up. This uncle can do or solve anything, knows just about everyone, and when it comes to problems… “no problem!”.

I’m beginning to refer to Giuliani now as Uncle Rudy. Have you noticed his stump speeches lately? Constant statements like “healthcare… we should be able to fix that” and “optimism… you gotta have that if you want to lead”. But short of just giving us another Reagan code-word here, what really is this guy’s plan for healthcare, or Iraq, or taxes?

I worry about a guy that talks in generalities, because as a conservative who feels used by a Bush presidency that I hoped would have bombed Iran and created a flat-tax by now, I want to know exactly what I’m getting into with a candidate.

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Levin on Iraq: “Limit the mission”

Posted by: Jason | February 18th, 2007 · 11:43 AM

Senator Carl Levin appeared on Fox News Sunday this morning to discuss the non-binding resolution on Iraq that was unable to meet expected Republican support.

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Quote of the Week: Thomas Paine

Posted by: Jason | · 11:25 AM

“The cause of Americ