American Enterprise: Arthur Brooks: 'Why Conservatives Should Care About Social Justice'

Source:The New Democrat

Arthur Brooks talking about creating a positive agenda instead of Republicans just saying what they are against. He’s arguing and has argued that Republicans need to offer what they are in favor of. His argument is and has been that Republicans and Democrats Conservatives and Liberals tend to want similar things when it comes to the economy. That both sides both want economic opportunity, freedom, economic mobility, self-reliance and self-sufficiency. But that both sides have different plans in how to accomplish those things. And what the Right needs is to have a plan that attempts to at least move low-skilled and low-income workers as well as the low-skilled unemployed into the middle class where they can live in economic freedom. And they don’t seem united in how to accomplish that yet. Lets say the New Gingrich/Paul Ryan wing of the Right seems to believe that empowering low-income adults whether they are working or not with educational and job training opportunities is a good way to close the income gap in America. But the GOP as a whole is not united behind that.

Washington Examiner: 'Equal Opportunity Should Be The Goal, Not Equal Outcomes'

Source:The New Democrat

In three years this might be the third time I’ve agreed with the Washington Examiner editorial page on anything. And that includes all of their editorial columnists, but I think they hit a home run with today’s editorial. By saying that the real goal when it comes to the economy is creating an economic system where all Americans have a quality opportunity to succeed in America. Even if that means that some Americans have a better shot at success, because of how they were raised. But that all Americans have quality opportunities to succeed in America. That quality opportunities becomes universal.

This is the economic debate that Democrats should be having with Republicans. Instead of so-called Progressive Democrats calling for everything to be equal including income. That all taxes need to be so high so no one has too much compared with the rest of the country or doesn’t have too little. In other words quality of outcomes which is very different and bit more socialist. And economic Conservative Republicans, “saying that this is how capitalism works. That is some people have so much and others have almost nothing. So what because that is how capitalism works.”

The mainstream establishments of both parties including in the Republican Party understand that we have an achievement and success gap that leads to our income gap. And why we have a very small population with a lot of money and a large population with very little. Which is what I call the income gap and both parties have talked about how to close it. And this one thing I credit President Obama for because he has a real plan to close it built around education and job training for our low-skilled workers and a big believer in having a new national infrastructure plan. That would create more economic opportunity especially for the Americans that do not have it.

The Republican economic plan to address the income gap which I believe does not go far enough, is built around school choice and training for low-income workers and low-skilled Americans who are unemployed. And work requirements for people on public assistance. So the leaderships in both parties at least now understand that the education and income gap is the problem. And both believe equality of opportunity is the way to solve it. But the real debate now what is the best way to fix the problems.

You Hot News: Full Speech: Republican Address to The Nation 2014: U.S. House GOP Chairman Cathy McMorris Rodgers

Source:The New Democrat

This is what Cathy McMorris Rodgers should’ve of said tonight:

“Good evening, I’m Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington State and I represent Eastern Washington. I’m Chairman of the House Republican Conference and tonight I have the high honor of giving the GOP response to what President Obama said tonight during his State of the Union speech.” And then get into what she disagreed with President Obama on in a respectful way and what she and House Republicans believe should be done instead. And where both sides agree on if anything and they want to work together.

What Cathy McMorris Rodgers said instead:

What we heard instead was a biographical address and I know she’s probably not very well-known outside of the House of Representatives and perhaps the national Republican Party. And felt the need to introduce herself with more of a biographical resume. But she’s not running for president or vice president or U.S. Senate or governor of Washington State. Her job was to layout the State of the Union from a Republican point of view and what House Republicans want to do in 2014.

And plus even when she talked about what President Obama and said and then finally got into what House Republicans want to do in 2014, nothing but Republican talking points. “We believe in free markets, apple pie, hard work and the American way to go along with low taxes. And we are working hard to do this.” And that without any details and specifics when it comes to policies. And what policies they are in favor of to accomplish, their goals.

Newsmax: Michael Steele- 'We've Got to Turn the Elephant'

Source:Newsmax- former Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele, talking about the future of the Republican Party.

Source:The New Democrat 

"Michael Steele, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, tells Newsmax TV during an exclusive interview that the Republican party must adapt to survive." 

From Newsmax

The Ronald Reagan/Michael Steele wing of the Republican Party is the future of the GOP. If they are going to be a big party in power in the future. And I put Mike Steele in the Reagan wing of the GOP because President Reagan is a big hero of Chairman Steele. And he is a big tent Republican who can speak to people outside of the traditional far-right base of the GOP and can communicate a message that appeals to more Americans outside of the far-right base.

The future of the GOP will need to keep the economic Conservatives who aren’t interested in government telling them or other Americans how to live their personal lives. And bring in Americans who like conservative economic policies, but get turned off by the Religious-Right and Nationalists when they talk about such divisive cultural issues. And try to nationalize social issues, when traditionally the Republican Party has seen these issues as issues should be left up to the states to decide.

The country is moving pass the Religious-Right and the Nationalists. And we are becoming a much more tolerant and inclusionary country. Something that only the far-right who still live in the 1950s culturally do not seem to understand. Who look at Americans outside of their base as Un-American and should go back to where they came from. As the far-right get’s even smaller and dies off, so will the GOP if they do not bring in new voters. 

Firing Line With William F. Buckley: The 1988 Republican Presidential Candidates

Source:The New Democrat   

The Bob Dole intro was the most impressive to me because of how real it was and how real he is. Talking about his parents and family and his background and where he came from. Coming from such modest roots and serving in World War II and being able to go to college on the GI Bill. And having the opportunity he needed to be successful in life and taking full advantage of those opportunities. To the point where he became Leader of the U.S. Senate. The rest of the group other than maybe Jack Kemp and Pat Robertson, were essentially country club Republicans, who were born with essentially all the opportunities needed to be successful in life. Not having to work their way through school, or having to serve their country before they were given the opportunity to be successful in life.

Channel 4 News: 50p Tax Rate, Do Britons Think it Will Make a Difference?

Source:The New Democrat

I guess New Labour is going back to being Old Labour and talking about fifty percent tax rates. If you think taxes are too high in America whatever income level you are at, try living in Britain and you’ll think the taxes in America are almost nothing. Top tax rate in the United States currently is thirty-three percent. United Kingdom it is somewhere in the forties right now and then you add up all sorts of other taxes to pay for all the public social services in the country all run by the national government there and you could be paying as much seventy percent in taxes if not more. Even Britain which is one of the most socialist democracies in the world, puts limits on how much they want government, especially their national government doing for them and how much they’ll pay for it. As we’ve seen in the last four years of the David Cameron government there.

National Review: Charles Krauthammer: 'For God's Sake, Why Do You Have to Talk About That?'

Source:National Review- Fox News contributor and columnist Charles Krauthammer, talking about Governor Mike Huckabee.

Source:The New Democrat

"Krauthammer's Take on Huckabee: "For God's Sake, Why Do You Have to Talk about That?" 

From National Review

The easiest way for Republicans to lose the 2014 mid-terms and that would be for them to fail to win back the U.S. Senate and give Republicans a united Republican Congress at the least, is for their Far-Right to be leading their pack and brand and for them to look like they speak for the Republican Party. At least the GOP base and putting Republicans on the spot and having to take clear positions on what these radicals on the Far-Right says. And risk either having to offend the Far-Right or mainstream Republicans and Independents.

The Far-Right wants to talk about abortion, gay marriage, homosexuality in general, women’s place in the world, Hollywood, as far as outlawing or restricting all of these things in the world. While the rest of the country which is most of the country wants to talk about the economy, foreign policy, terrorism and civil liberties.