tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post3498407315003105366..comments2024-03-28T00:01:43.037-04:00Comments on Grim's Hall: Via CassandraGrimhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-70633936845677765542012-02-14T13:46:29.068-05:002012-02-14T13:46:29.068-05:00Linked.Linked.Bob's Bloghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11971565970366294930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-48214035789008007532012-02-13T19:57:38.835-05:002012-02-13T19:57:38.835-05:00A president alone can't do that anymore, for t...A president alone can't do that anymore, for <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Impoundment_of_appropriated_funds" rel="nofollow">this reason</a>; but note that it would require only a simple act of Congress, without supermajority, to change that. It also has had wide bipartisan support among presidents and presidential candidates, although Congress has chosen to prefer to mandate that the President spend however much money they appropriate.Grimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-21414369631195443682012-02-13T18:13:26.058-05:002012-02-13T18:13:26.058-05:00Well, FWIW I've been wrestling with the same t...Well, FWIW I've been wrestling with the same thing. I don't know what the right answer is.<br /><br />For me the choice was simple because I've always applied pretty much the same criteria every election and it's kind of weird to me that we have so many candidates who have never run anything. <br /><br />I suspect that no matter who we nominate, we're not going to see a sea change in the size of government. That's part of my mystification about the debates.<br /><br />It has not been explained to me how the President can unilaterally reduce the size of the federal government... which makes the insistence on not compromising with the other party downright bizarre.Cassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-29308817469212958482012-02-11T14:19:13.191-05:002012-02-11T14:19:13.191-05:00Oh, believe me, Cassandra, I agree! I do worry ab...Oh, believe me, Cassandra, I agree! I do worry about Santorum on that exact ground. Life is difficult for small-government enthusiasts deciding for whom they can bear to pull the lever. Sometimes I have to consider whether to support a big-government guy who agrees with me on some things or a big-government guy who scarcely agrees with me on anything.<br /><br />My consolation is that any of these GOP guys will be closer to (though still very far from) my ideal of small government than will the present occupant of the White House.Texan99https://www.blogger.com/profile/10479561573903660086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-12729741095951777642012-02-11T12:16:03.399-05:002012-02-11T12:16:03.399-05:00It's true that Santorum is much closer to an o...It's true that Santorum is much closer to an old-style Southern Democrat than he is a libertarian. He favors government help to blue-collar workers, manufacturing, families, and a strong religious/social message -- actually, fifteen years ago he could have been a Democrat if he'd come from the South. (Of course, he could have been a Republican in the South with that message too.) <br /><br />The importance of small government is why I favored Rep. Bachmann at first: she really does seem to understand the constitutional critique better than any of the others.Grimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-22735565475986031342012-02-11T11:05:14.823-05:002012-02-11T11:05:14.823-05:00I wish I could conclude that he drew the same less...<i>I wish I could conclude that he drew the same lessons from this exercise in mercy as I do, concerning the area where he makes me the most nervous, which is his philosophy (vel non) of the proper role of government.</i><br /><br />If small government is so important to you T99, I'm not sure how you can support Santorum. The last time he ran for office,<a href="http://mediacdn.reuters.com/media/us/editorial/pdf/50Things.pdf" rel="nofollow"> he ran as anything but a small government fiscal conservative.</a><br /><br />I just don't get it.Cassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-59031769423378741182012-02-10T21:21:51.992-05:002012-02-10T21:21:51.992-05:00You give me too much credit, Cassandra. I have on...You give me too much credit, Cassandra. I have only one way of looking at things. This was an act of chivalry. I have no power but to praise it.Grimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-59270696670281199262012-02-10T13:41:46.986-05:002012-02-10T13:41:46.986-05:00I love hearing this about a man's whose charac...I love hearing this about a man's whose character will be so important to us. I wish I could conclude that he drew the same lessons from this exercise in mercy as I do, concerning the area where he makes me the most nervous, which is his philosophy (vel non) of the proper role of government.<br /><br />Romney and his friends and business partners put their own money and time into a mission of mercy that they personally supported. To me this is an example of how the private sector should work. To someone with more leftist tendencies, this is an argument for the public sector, because no one person could have such an impact acting alone. What does Romney believe about the proper limits on the role of the public sector? Who knows? But he seems a fine man, and if he gets the nomination I will certainly vote for him, because I know very well what pernicious views the incumbent has on these issues.Texan99https://www.blogger.com/profile/10479561573903660086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-78867182274584872802012-02-10T07:18:13.400-05:002012-02-10T07:18:13.400-05:00Grim:
You have made my morning. Which candidate ...Grim:<br /><br />You have made my morning. Which candidate you back is a matter for you to decide, not me. But I appreciate your willingness to entertain another way of looking at things.<br /><br />You and I have vastly different criteria for evaluating candidates. I am not terribly interested in words because they are unreliable and nowhere is this more true than in politics. I am VERY interested in actions. <br /><br />Promises without the proven ability to execute them are worthless to me, and if promises are to be made I prefer that a candidate not promise me that which he knows (and I know) he cannot deliver.<br /><br />To me, this isn't timidity. It's honesty, coupled with respect for my intelligence. I cannot for the life of me understand how not promising what you can't deliver is taken for lack of conviction. When I look at Romney's life, I see a man who keeps his promises, day in and day out. I see a man who is steady and dependable, who is in control of his emotions, who clearly has the focus and the ability to succeed in whatever he does (business, running the Olympics, running a liberal state).<br /><br />People like that are rare. Extremely rare.<br /><br />That ought to mean more than words, but sadly I'm watching my party go gaga over flashiness over substance. I get that there's something about Romney that people don't care for. He's not a crowd pleaser, but then I never thought that was an important quality in a president.Cassnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5173950.post-64783241847892621822012-02-10T00:38:54.707-05:002012-02-10T00:38:54.707-05:00Mr. Romney was also found helping victims of the t...Mr. Romney was also found helping victims of the two thousand seven San Diego fires. He had no press entourage in tow, and it only made the news because there were people who took pictures and video and shared it with the news. I should have thought to mention that earlier. I' ve never doubted he's a good man, heck his being a Mormon made that a pretty good bet, and there really doesn't seem to be any dirt on him at all. Like you, Grim, it's policies and do I think he is persuasive enough that have me still leaning toward Santorum.douglashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17261739259295914188noreply@blogger.com