COLLECTIVE MADNESS


“Soft despotism is a term coined by Alexis de Tocqueville describing the state into which a country overrun by "a network of small complicated rules" might degrade. Soft despotism is different from despotism (also called 'hard despotism') in the sense that it is not obvious to the people."

Friday, November 04, 2011

Newt Gingrich for President

63 comments:

  1. The Inevitable Newt Bubble Has Arrived.

    From the New Republic, it is not a complementary article.

    It does close with:

    Thirty-eight years after his first, failed run for Congress, the ever-talkative former history professor isn’t going anywhere—and against all odds, a new generation of Republicans is eating it up.



    Ed Kilgore is a special correspondent for The New Republic.

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  2. That is about the "nicest" thing that Mr Kilgore has to say, about Newt.

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  3. Shale Gas Revolution

    John Rowe, the chief executive of the utility Exelon, which derives almost all its power from nuclear plants, says that shale gas is one of the most important energy revolutions of his lifetime. It’s a cliché word, Yergin told me, but the fracking innovation is game-changing. It transforms the energy marketplace.

    The U.S. now seems to possess a 100-year supply of natural gas, which is the cleanest of the fossil fuels. This cleaner, cheaper energy source is already replacing dirtier coal-fired plants. It could serve as the ideal bridge, Amy Jaffe of Rice University says, until renewable sources like wind and solar mature.

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  4. WASHINGTON — A top U.S. general in Afghanistan was relieved of duty Friday for "inappropriate public comments" after calling the Afghan government "isolated from reality" and President Hamid Karzai "erratic."

    Maj. Gen. Peter Fuller, deputy commander for training Afghan security forces, blasted the Afghan government, military and Karzai in an interview with POLITICO published on Thursday.

    He called Karzai "erratic" for recently saying Afghanistan would side with Pakistan if the latter declared war on the U.S.

    "Why don’t you just poke me in the eye with a needle!," Fuller was quoted as saying. "You’ve got to be kidding me … I’m sorry, we just gave you $11.6 billion and now you’re telling me, 'I don’t really care'?"

    Fuller also said he had trouble explaining to Afghan officials that Western funds were limited. "You guys are isolated from reality" he said he told Afghan generals. "If you're in a very poor country like Afghanistan, you think that America has roads paved in gold, everybody lives in Hollywood."

    "I actually had someone senior tell me, 'All I want to do is put them [tanks] on a flat bed and drive them around in a parade'," he added.

    Fuller said Afghan leaders "don't understand the sacrifices that America is making to provide for their security. And I think that's part of my job to educate 'em."

    Fuller was relieved of duty by the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan, Gen. John Allen.

    It was not clear what Fuller would do next, but such disciplinary action usually ends military careers.



    NBC's Jim Miklaszewski and Courtney Kube contributed to this report.

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  5. Yep, if you could blend that natural gas with gasoline, it'd be a great deal.

    Otherwise, it's just another "next new thing".

    The cost of refitting the fleet, puts it off the table.

    Good for generating electricity, though.

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  6. The GOP’s Nightmare Debate

    A weekend face-off in Texas between Herman Cain and Newt Gingrich puts a spotlight on allegations of harassment and infidelity.

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  7. Transportation consumes only 30 percent of energy use by the USA.

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  8. Newt is SO much smarter than the rest. With, as he said, Credentials to back it up.

    Right now, he's the only Republican that could get me to pull the lever to the "Right."

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  9. To enable Obama over Mitt confirms your terminal brain fade condition.

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  10. Newt could run an ad featuring him and Hillary.
    ...already tested in the public sphere.

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  11. True , Doug

    The United States consumes 20 million barrels of oil every day

    The U.S. economy has become dangerously dependent on foreign oil.

    57% of all oil consumed in the U.S. is imported.
    70% of all oil consumed in the U.S. is used for transportation.

    The United States consumes 20 million barrels of oil products every day.
    — 14 million barrels per day consumed for transportation fuel.
    — 9 million barrels of the transportation fuel is gasoline.

    The United States imports 6 million barrels of crude oil per day from OPEC nations.

    Replacing petroleum fuels (gasoline and diesel) with non-petroleum alternative fuels would completely eliminate dependence on OPEC oil—and set an example for the world to follow.

    U.S. Electric Utility Companies responded to the threat of the 1973 Arab oil embargo by replacing petroleum fuel oil with USA coal, nuclear energy and natural gas to power their generators. The USA no longer depends on petroleum to generate electricity for the power grid. The USA is not dependent on foreign sources of energy for electricity generation.

    The U.S. Automobile industry must do today what the U.S. Electric Utility industry did over 35 years ago — Kick the oil habit!

    Seventy percent of the oil consumed in the USA is used for transportation fuel—gasoline, diesel and jet fuel.

    American Energy Independence will be achieved when American drivers can fill their cars and trucks with non-petroleum fuels. Today, cars and trucks use gasoline and diesel made from petroleum. Technology exists today that can enable all cars and trucks to run on USA biofuels, natural gas, synthetic fuels and electricity.


    Journey to Energy Independence

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  12. Papa Dreiou wins 153-145.

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  13. The USA is not dependent on foreign sources of energy for electricity generation.

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  14. Well Cain is finished, not for the BS charges but he looks like an amaterur the way he is handling this. Gingrich is a professional and he would clean Obama's clock in a debate. I doubt Obama would debate him more than once. Gingrich is vicious enough. Gingrich would have to redefine himself. I do not think that would be that difficult if he had the money to go over the heads of the media.

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  15. Deuce: Gingrich is a professional...

    And we know he loves the traditional institution of marriage as defined as between a man and a woman very much. He's gone back for thirds.

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  16. Newt's daughter came out the other day (I have no idea why it took so long,) and said that the whole "Newt served divorce papers to his wife *dying of cancer* in the hospital" thing is bullshit.

    The wife had instituted divorce proceedings 6 months, earlier, and Newt took the kids to visit her in the hospital where she was to have a "Benign" tumor removed the next day.

    She's alive, and well, living somewhere or other.

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  17. I think Newt recognized early on that, with all these debates, he could run a Nomination Campaign on the cheap.

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  18. I've only watched part of One debate, so far; but, with Newt reaching "Top Tier" status, I might tune in to the next one.

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  19. It's a format that suits his talents, rufus.

    If Newt were to become the candidate, there'd we be, in a

    Battle of The Professors
    ... Law v History ...



    I used to think that Newt was on target. Then it seemed to me that he became extremely partisan.

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  20. Right Now, is when you want to start "catching fire."

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  21. The bottom line is Greece gets their money from the EU. Greece exerted debtor's leverage and won. As per usual, nothing is certain in Greece.

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  22. I'll be honest, it was the whole "serving divorce papers to the wife in the hospital dying of cancer" thing that put me off.

    I could never vote for someone who did that, irregardless of what other attributes they might have.

    If this latest story from the daughter turns out to be true, that's a game-changer for me.

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  23. So, well it is a "Good Thing" that we have access to ever greater of amounts of natural gas, to generate electricity, it will not help our balance of payments deficit to the Persian Gulf region or Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.

    It will not help lessen the oil security deficit.

    Those are the energy related numbers that matter, most.

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  24. Who cares about these guys and their wives and what relevancy does it have to their being good presidents? By all standards Barack Obama, Jimmy Carter and George Bush are model husbands and fathers. How has that worked out?

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  25. When you see a politician as homely as Papa Drayhorse, you better look out. He's gotta be the smartest one in the room. (at least, the sneakiest, most conniving.) :)

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  26. Maybe we need a tough no good son of a bitch.

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  27. Deuce, I wouldn't vote for a man who wouldn't fib a bit in a "horse trade," nor for one that hasn't chased a little tail.

    But, the "divorce papers to dying wife in the hospital" story would go to a much deeper lack of character. One that, to me, would just be a bridge too far.

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  28. We don't need a tough "no good" son of a bitch, but we do need a Tough, "Smart" sonofabitch.

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  29. In my 07:37 comment I offered that his daughter said that the story was "BS." That nothing like that happened at all.

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  30. I know he was a draft dodger, but do we have the luxury of four more years of Obama or is Romney the default candidate?

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  31. As a Christian, I believe people who say that they have seen the error of their ways and repented. Newt has said this repeatedly. There is nothing in the past 15 years to contradict that assertion.

    His daughter, despite being an adult now, maintains a child's view of the situation. The only people who know about a marriage are the two people in it. Her view, by definition, is limited.

    That Newt and his daughter apparently have a close relationship speaks volumes about his ability to love and cherish.
    Let the cancer story go. It is not relevant to the redeemed man before us today.

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  32. It is hard to argue against redemption, nor would I.

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  33. I never blamed anyone for not wanting to go to Vietnam. I did not like it when Quintuple Deferment politicians turned "super-hawk," and decided to send hundreds of thousands of other people's kids to war on phony-assed "nation-building," and Halliburton "profit-building" debacles.

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  34. Romney will likely lose, if nominated.

    Bob Dole redux.

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  35. Well, if it were true, I couldn't let it go. He would just be a non-starter in my book.

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  36. I thought that Conservatives/Republicans/the right-wing always preached the value of personal responsibility? The only thing Cain had going for him was "a responsible Republican businessmen knows how to make the economy work". This throws some doubt on his talents as an executive. It seems that that's fine for them to say until their own balls are in the wringer. Once that happens then it always someone else's fault, isn't it?

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  37. Actually, I can't see much difference in Obama, and Romney (except, Obama might have a couple of "core beliefs."

    Ol' Gangrene, on the other hand, seems to "ring my bell" just a bit.

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  38. I've never taken Cain very seriously. There's just something wrong with his bio. He seems to keep selling himself into the top position, and then getting fired.

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  39. Rufus II said...

    "Actually, I can't see much difference in Obama, and Romney (except, Obama might have a couple of "core beliefs."

    That's what I meant by confirming terminal brain rot.

    As if ANY pub would increase the deficit more in one term than all other presidents combined.

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  40. One did, Doug, his name was Ronald W Reagan

    The rest, just riding his coattails.

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  41. I agree with you Rufus, I didn't particularly care one way or another who went or who didn't. Those that bothered me were those that didn't serve in their time but had the temerity to question the next generation that oppose their current war. I was always amused that George McGovern was called a wimp. In his early 20's George McGovern flew 35 daytime bombing mission as a B-24 pilot. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery under hostile fire. The B-24 had on average a crew of ten. There were fuel tanks all over the plane and it required gunners all over the ship for the browning 50 cal, two each in dorsal, the tail and ball turrets; one in each waist window and three in single mounts in the nose. Why did a bomber need all those gun? WW2 was a war of attrition. bombing missions went over in the hundreds and flew in formation. Those guns were needed initially for German fighters. later they became redundant because the Germans relied on very effective anti-aircraft "flak" batteries. In either case, the Eighth Air Force had over 135,000 air crew in combat and lost around 10,000. Some wimp.

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  42. Lordy, lordy. You guys are grasping at straws looking for someone, anyone, who can be propped up and be called a Republican candidate. As I've said before Obama will get a second term. Yeah, yeah, it is a mugs game making a call this far out but with the current crop of candidates it certainly narrows the odds. It looks like Trish was right about the years required for the 'pubs to spend in the wilderness

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  43. Gingrich could work for me. He is the smartest of the Republican candidates, and he has the most knowledge in a vast array of subjects. I will be voting for him, should he get into the primaries which is not for sure. I do fear, however, that he may not appeal to those less educated or to those who see him as acting ‘superior’. This type of thinking, on the scale of the millions who support government and are not well-off themselves, will not lead to his success.

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  44. Red was an amusing gal, damn smart but burned to a frizzle. She flamed me more than a few times. Had to be sharp around Trish. I wish her well.

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  45. I hope she shows up again some time, after she gets things sorted out. I believe she will.

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  46. I think her wing man bob flacked out at well.

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  47. according to rights groups in and out of Syria, some two dozen civilians have been killed have been killed across the country since the deal was struck, raising doubts about the government's willingness to end the eight-month crackdown.

    The violence has not all been one-way, either. Fifteen members of the Syrian security forces and pro-government gunmen have reportedly been killed been killed by army defectors in the same time period.

    A sense of continuing stalemate and continuing bloodshed prevailed over all the encounters on my Syrian trip. From the seaside waiters' dislike for Americans in Tartous to the suspicion of outsiders and fear of bandits among the mountain village folk, from the massive deployment of security personnel in and around the major protest centers to the increasing desperation of local activists and apolitical locals alike, everywhere the mood was one of waiting for an end to the crisis and knowing it will not come soon.

    Everyone seemed resigned to a low-level and long-term war of attrition. Those confident of Assad's political survival perceived, even if they did not confess it, that his standing was irreparably damaged. Those positive his days were numbered were unwilling to count.

    The security of anyone's declarations was in direct proportion to the insecurity of his convictions. All sides are certain they are in the endgame, and equally certain that the end will be long in coming.


    Highway to Homs

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  48. I assume this has already happened, but, if it hasn't, it will; he'll run into the same buzzsaw All Republican Candidates run into - Healthcare.

    It's a real tricky dance-step for a Pub.

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  49. Deuce: Had to be sharp around Trish. I wish her well.

    Yeah, well she thought Paul Krugman was the bee's knees. Exsqueeze me? Paul fucking Krugman?

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  50. I once forced myself all the way through the Rat Faced Little SOB's excrement.
    ...but that was the last time.

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  51. .

    I once forced myself all the way through the Rat Faced Little SOB's excrement.
    ...but that was the last time.



    We still talking Dems and Pubs Doug or have you run into a Roto-Rooter issue?

    .

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  52. Actually Trish liked this rather bright lefty economist. i can't recall his name. Maybe began with a B, Brad? I posted there a few times. I was not his fav. I had my best time on a European blog tweaking Noam Chomsky.

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  55. The only way I can support any Republican (Newt included) is if they convince me they have a solid plan to guarantee Healthcare Access to ALL Americans. Period.

    If all other Great Countries (and, some "not so great countries") can do it, we can do it.

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  56. Of course, the "true fact" is: Obamacare is the law of the land, and it's Not going to be repealed.

    I guess I just want to do a little "reading of the area 'tween the lines." A little glimpse of through the eyes, and "into the soul," as it were.

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  57. Long day; Bonzo off to bed. :)

    Have a good'un.

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