My New Online Home

My new online home is here at Thoughts and Quotes. While I still comment on politics from a center-right point of view, the site is more of a catch all for things I come across and want to share or comment on. I suppose it is more of a curating site than anything else. If this is something you are interested in feel free to stop by. It is the political silly season, so there is sure to plenty to rant about!

The Moderate Republican is Closing Up Shop...

...well, sort of.

I have been writing here for the past three years and have really enjoyed the give and take with readers as I have thought out loud about some of the more complicated subjects our modern politics has to deal with. But the time has come to make a change.

As regular readers have certainly realized, this blog has been moving in fits and starts for the past few months. The reason for this is because my political views are taking a beating. Last night's GOP debate sort of sealed the deal for me. I am having a harder and harder time calling myself a Moderate Republican when candidates like Rick Perry, whom I am supposed to take seriously as a conservative get applause lines for executions. I am pro capital punishment, but applaud? Really?

My interests have also changed. I introduced my new writing project, A Certain Quality of Life, this summer and have been thoroughly enjoying writing there. If you have not stopped by yet, feel free. I'd love to hear your thoughts. I have also been fairly active on my Tumblelog site, Thoughts & Quotes, where I post a lot of links to things I find interesting in the realms of politics, culture, society and education as well as think out loud about a variety of issues.

In reality, I think Thoughts & Quotes is the descendant of The Moderate Republican in a lot of ways. It is just that I now favor a more rapid fire approach to posting- lots of short posts rather than long essays- and a more diverse selection of topics. So, long story short, I will be closing down The Moderate Republican in a few days. It no longer defines who I am politically (I am becoming more of a hybrid libertarian every day) or intellectually (my interests have simply broaden to include more than just intra and inter party fighting).

So if you have enjoyed following along on this journey I hope you'll continue with me on the Tumblelog site or A Certain Quality of Life, if not, just know that I have appreciated your readership. Its been a fun three years.

PS. I will own this domain for a while but have no plans on using it. If you are interested in purchasing the domain shoot me an email and we'll talk.

GOP's to Lose

Charlie Cook: "The economic data buttress the view that this presidential election is the GOP's to lose, although if Republicans nominate a candidate who has difficulty connecting with the independent voters between the two ideological and partisan 40-yard lines -- that is, the voters who ultimately decide elections -- they may well test that proposition."

Perry Wants to Repeal the 20th Century

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire: William Galston writes an open memo to Mitt Romney on a "unique opportunity to define yourself... If you take it, you have a fighting chance of prevailing. If you duck it, you'll lose, just as Tim Pawlenty did when he booted away his chance to take you on."

"How should you do it? Well, to the extent that the Republican nominating contest is a rational process, it's a search for a candidate with three characteristics. The nominee must be competent to serve as president, reliably conservative, and electable. You're never going to be able to make your party believe that the longest-serving governor in Texas history isn't fit to serve as chief executive. And despite some facts to the contrary, it won't be any easier to challenge Perry's conservative credentials. That narrows it down to one option: You must persuade the decisive portion of your party that Rick Perry is too extreme to be elected president."

"Here's your theme: Rick Perry wants to repeal the 20th century. I don't. And neither do the American people."

Jon Huntsman’s Reasonable Man Act - The Daily Beast

Jon Huntsman’s Reasonable Man Act - The Daily Beast: The Huntsman strategy here is obvious: position himself as the moderate and reasonable guy on the off chance Republicans decide to be moderate and reasonable. We must assume he is aware that his odds on this are rather long, so what he’s really hoping for is to be the consensus candidate of 2016. Maybe the party just has to go through this purge, this Reign of Terror; so just let it do that, and once it does and nominates an extremist who can’t beat a weak incumbent during a time of 9 percent unemployment rates, and the heads are piled high enough in the tumbrels and enough people finally have returned to their senses, he will ride the Thermidorian wave to victory after Obama leaves town.

Huntsman Promotes Himself as Moderate Choice : Roll Call Politics

Huntsman Promotes Himself as Moderate Choice : Roll Call Politics: White House hopeful Jon Huntsman took a combative approach to his first Sunday show interview as a GOP presidential candidate. The former Utah governor, who served as U.S. ambassador to China until April, knocked his opponents while positioning himself as the moderate Republican candidate in his prerecorded appearance on ABC’s “This Week.”

“This is a center-right country. I am a center-right candidate,” Huntsman told anchorman Jake Tapper. “Right now, we’ve got people on the fringes. President Obama is too far to the left. We’ve got people on the Republican side who are too far to the right, and we have zero substance.”

A Thought Experiment

As of 2010 there were approximately 23 million small businesses in America. About 6 million of those had employees. These numbers are estimates as hard data is hard to find with different organizations defining "small" business in different ways. But for argument's sake let's go with these.

Another hard to determine number: the federal expenditures on subsidies and other big business perks. After a modest amount of research I come up with a figure of about $800 billion. 

So here is the thought experiment:

What if a presidential candidate proposed to suspend all subsidies for a one year period and instead offered $50,000 small business start-up grants. That would come out to around 16 million grants, which would in turn increase the number of small businesses by 50%. After a year the plan would be re-evaluated.

Now let me be clear, I know this would never happen. There is far too much cross-pollination between big business and big government. But it does make you wonder: What would this do to the economy?

Granted some large companies would suffer strong losses due to an over reliance on the government. But wouldn't being forced to compete on a more level field eventually make these companies stringer?

And what about a country suddenly flush with 16 million more small business owners. These are normally your strongest citizens- hard working and with a vested interest in national security and success. 

If there are any economists reading this I'd love your thoughts.

Where is the Political Courage?

Shapiro: Bygone patriots and the end of political courage - CNN.com: "Was the bravery necessary to vote your conscience and to defy the political fates ever really common in Washington? Or maybe the problem is with political ambition itself -- and how hard it has always been for anyone in either party in any era to risk losing the next election.

What is particularly frustrating right now is that both liberals and conservatives who are not in politics understand the contours of compromise on the deficit. But major figures in Washington somehow lack the moxie to play against type and challenge the orthodoxies of party-line politics.


The Washington we dream about

Imagine a prominent Democrat sketching out with precision the long-term benefit cuts needed to prevent Medicare and Social Security from devouring the federal budget. Picture a leading Republican emulating Ronald Reagan by admitting that tax increases have to be part of any long-term plan to stanch the deficit. Envision a senator with national prestige questioning why -- with Osama bin Laden dead and al Qaeda in tatters -- America is permanently obligated to spend more on its military than the rest of the world combined.

- Sent using Google Toolbar"

Huntsman Plans Biggest NH Staff on Record

Huntsman building big NH team, changing tone - Boston.com: "Republican presidential candidate Jon Huntsman wants to go head to head with Mitt Romney in the former Massachusetts governor's own backyard.

With a laser focus on New Hampshire, President Barack Obama's recently departed ambassador to China is quietly assembling what may end up being the largest paid GOP primary effort in the state's history. He's also taking a sharper tone as he fights to overcome a staff shakeup and low popularly among the relatively few Republican voters who know him.

Center Continues to Shrink

Taegan Goddard's Political Wire: "Rep. Mike Ross (D-AR), the only Democrat among Arkansas' four House members, announced he won't seek re-election next year, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reports.

'Ross, who has expressed interest in running for governor in 2014, said in a statement that he wants to spend time with his family and explore 'new opportunities here at home in Arkansas.' He later said opting out of next year's House run keeps the gubernatorial race an open possibility.'