Posted on 11/25/2010 7:51:23 PM PST by iowamark
SAN DIEGO -- When at least four possible presidential contenders – Govs. Haley Barbour, Bobby Jindal, Tim Pawlenty and Mitch Daniels -- shared a stage at the Republican Governors Association conference Thursday morning, along with Bob McDonnell and Chris Christie, who do you think was the standout?
Yes, Barbour's every word is quotable, Daniels has sewn up the David Brooks primary, and no one can say that Pawlenty doesn't present well. But if you read Politics Daily's Jill Lawrence, you might not be surprised to learn that it was Christie who got the most applause and laughs from the crowd.
What new governors can't understand, he said, is that "I don't care if you had a Democrat or a Republican before you,'' you will still be up against the same "it's never been done that way'' mindset. He told governors-elect that their own political advisers will tell them, "Let's not kick anybody you shouldn't kick and you'll be fine; let's incrementalize, kick them a little and cuddle up to them at other times.'' Which is fine, he said, if you want voters to "fog over" when you speak, throw down the newspaper when they read about you, and vote against you the next time.
Speaking about his own fight against the teachers unions, he said he likes teachers, too, "but I can't stand their union.'' Freezing teacher salaries for a year and asking teachers to pay 1.5 percent of their salary for health benefits was characterized as such an historic assault on schools that even his own first-grader, Bridget, was hurt as a result. Really? Sure, he said, and told a story about her supposedly coming home with her first report card and complaining that OF COURSE her marks were poor. "I can't concentrate, I can't study,'' with a teacher whose pay has been frozen. "Dad, stop the madness!"
In answer to the huge laughter and applause from the crowd, he said, "You laugh, but that's the crap I have to listen to in New Jersey.''
Spend your political capital while you have it, he advised those just elected, because if you stow it in a drawer for some time when you need it, you'll open that drawer some day and find that is has dissipated.
Christie and Susana Martinez of New Mexico were chosen as at-large members of the RGA's leadership team headed by incoming chair Rick Perry. Outgoing chairman Haley Barbour will remain on the team in the newly created role of policy chairman. Jindal will serve as gala chairman and Nikki Haley as recruitment chairwoman.
As for advice new governors got from others on the stage? Barbour told them to "do what you said you were gonna do. Anybody that thinks there's one department in your state that can't save money doesn't know what the hell they're talking about."
Pawlenty said "every day there are threats to our freedom in the form of school board" and other governmental decisions. Taking one of several shots at the press, he said that when Republicans so much as mention the word freedom "some of our friends who are cynical in the media snicker at that.''
Daniels, who moderator Bill Bennett introduced as "the man on the motorcycle,'' (Daniels rides a Harley) was in both dress and posture the most relaxed guy on the stage. In a baggy blue sweater over a T-shirt, he leaned way back in his chair and told new governors, "You're going to have a field day, especially if you follow a Democrat'' because there will be so much fat to trim from state budgets. "Low-hanging fruit,'' he called it. "It's what our military friends call a target-rich environment.''
Interestingly, a main theme of today's discussion was that this is a moment when the American public is prepared and willing to make sacrifices; that's an argument that many of Obama's fellow Democrats thought he should have made more explicitly. McDonnell said this is a unique moment "in American history when people are willing to put up with more cuts. People manage resources better if you give them less of it.''
Later in the day, at a panel discussion modestly called "Saving America,'' Newt Gingrich gave the only formal address of the conference, a 12-point plan delivered from a podium. In it, he said people receiving unemployment compensation should be required to go through a training course because "paying people to do nothing for 99 weeks is as wrong in unemployment compensation as it was in welfare.''
Another of his proposals is that every public school student be required to "reassert American exceptionalism" by studying the Declaration of Independence every year. "The time has come to reassert that we are Americans, and America is a learned civilization,'' he said, pronouncing learned as a one- rather than two-syllable word.
Not only is he wrong on illegal aliens, he's very anti-Second Amendment. I don't care how charismatic he is, those are deal breakers for any prospective presidential candidate.
“...he’s very anti-Second Amendment.”
Thanks for that reminder, that is true.
It’s also just annoying that people get on the scene and suddenly they are supposed to be president.
I guess that is more of a dem thing than a republican thing. I don’t like the republican thing of “next in line” either.
Both methods show a tendency to lazy thinking imho.
Good post. Christie is a RINO but a hell of a speaker. The Tea Party people are smart. Get him to the NJ top post but hold him on a leash on the presidential stuff.
I dont want him running for anything other than governor.
He is a fiscal conservative. He’s an improvement over RINO McKean and Whitman. Christie is as conservative as you can get in a state like NJ.
Too bad others didn’t catch on. Bravo to you.
He was directing his remark to a specific group/area. I jumped to the conclusion that it was ‘us’ but as freespirited and Hi Tech pointed out...it’s government. Whether it be citizens on the gov teat or the agencies...it was their opinion those were the areas McDonnell was addressing and not ‘us’. Which makes sense.
You’re kidding, right?? How you pronouce “learned” designates TWO different meanings......TOTALLY different meanings.
“if you want voters to “fog over” when you speak, throw down the newspaper when they read about you, and vote against you the next time.”
For some reason, Mitch McConnell comes to mind. Especially “fog over” when you speak.
Bookmark
Well, the current Fly-Over lawyer and the last Southern lawyer ain’t done much better either! As a matter of fact, the whole Hah-vahd/Yale thing is a bit overrated, if you ask me.
That’s the way I read it too.
You have to learn what it means to be an American.
This is why non-native English speakers get confused. "Learned" usually connotes the verbal sense, as in "he/ learned algebra". "Learn-ed" usually connotes the adjective sense, as in "the learn-ed judge" or "the learn-ed professor". And in fact, there was a relatively famous US judge, "Learn-ed" Hand.
All good advice to freshmen members of the House and the Senate. You were sent to Versailles on the Potomac to stir things up, not business as usual. The first time somebody, ANYBODY, tells you to follow the rules, in pulic OR private, call them out in public, by name!
Sure, it’ll p!$$ them off, but they won’t say it again.
We are not a two-syllable learned society when our news editors don't know that the alternative to such a long-winded explanation is simply to write "learnèd."
No, Newt hasn't been part of the problem. He tried to lead us in the right direction as speaker, but the RINOs shot his agenda out from under him. Turned out they didn't believe all that stuff they ran on and instead spent there time turning democratic port into republican pork. So Newt quit.
Ever since Newt has been trying to figure out ways to save this country and has been talking about ideas everywhere he goes. Some of his ideas are good, some are crackpot, and some are simply lame accommodations with leftists like the algoron on global warming.
But finding new ideas is important and least he goes out looking for them. While the GOP has been concerned about trying to get back in power, if they are even that interested (many have been happy just to get their share of the pork and let the dims do what they want) Newt has been trying to figure out what Puppies should do if they get back into power. That is important.
learn-ed
Precisely, each determined by context.
Puhleese!
So Newt quit.
Geez, that's a real sign of strength. He was in a leadership position so why didn't he lead?
Some of his ideas are good, some are crackpot, and some are simply lame accommodations with leftists like the algoron on global warming.
Anybody who associates themselves with the ideas of Al Gore and sits down with the likes of Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton doesn't have a clue.
Newt has been trying to figure out what Puppies should do if they get back into power. That is important.
I think the Tea Party is doing quite well all by itself and doesn't need the input of this backward-thinking, self aggrandizing, legend-in-his-own mind. (See the Scozzafava disaster in the NY-23 as an example of Newt finding new ideas.)
Have a nice day!
Actually, not understanding politician-speak is a sign of mental health.
FRegards,
FS
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