Piers Morgan Tonight: Ann Coulter vs Piers Morgan- 10/26/2012

Source:RCP Video- Former CNN host Piers Morgan.

Source:The New Democrat

Ann Coulter actually make a good point about the mentally ill in America and their access to guns. Which is why we need to fully fund mental health care in America both in and out of institutions. And no longer release mental patients because of costs because now we are putting the resources in to fund mental health care in this country. And there are a variety of ways that we can do this. Requiring health insurers both private and public to cover mental health care would be one of them. And there will be a future post on this blog about how exactly could we fund mental health care in this country.

The mental health care may the only issue I agree with Ann Coulter on. And since I have so much disrespect for her and basically see here a hate-monger for the far-right, I may have to rethink my position on this. But where Ann goes back to Crazyland and visits her good friend Michelle Bachmann is that she’s not willing to do anything that would actually keep the mentally disabled for whatever reasons from getting access to firearms in the United States.

There are big government policies to cutting gun violence. Basically trying to repeal the 2nd Amendment that democratic socialist talk show how and writer Thom Hartmann suggested a few weeks ago. Or make it so weak that it is basically worth nothing. There are no government policies on this issue which is to do nothing. And there are limited government solutions to this problem which is to prevent criminals and the mentally disabled from getting firearms. While responsible adults would still be able to get firearms as long as they are responsible with them.

What we need is a twenty-four hour background check on anyone inside of the United States purchasing a firearm. And that check would be to make sure that no one with a violent felony criminal record, someone convicted of a violent crime or violent crimes could get access to firearms. Or the mentally ill someone with a record of metal illness could get access to firearms. As well as seeing that no one who still needs to be in a mental institution is able to leave until they are ready to.

The approach I’m talking about is supported by some sixty-percent of the American public. Even people who are on the far-left who want to outlaw firearms period for private use, would take this approach over doing nothing. And only the libertarian-right and the far-right see this approach as unconstitutional, because they are absolutists on the Second Amendment. And see any gun regulations are unconstitutional even though none of our constitutional rights are absolute.
Source:RCP Video

National Review: Lou Dobbs Tonight- John Fund: GOP Realizes Opposing ObamaCare Not Enough

Source:The Huffington Post- Senate GOP Leadership.

Source:The New Democrat 

The whole problem with the Republican Party especially the Tea Party’s critique of the Affordable Care Act that they call ObamaCare is that they’ve never had a plan of their own at least as a party. One plan that brings the whole party together. They never tried to pass a broad health care reform plan when they controlled both the White House and Congress from 2003-07. They just passed a very expensive Medicare prescription drug plan in 2003. That they borrowed seven-hundred billion dollars to pay for.

House Republicans when they were still in the minority led by John Boehner, had a substitute to the House passed health care reform plan in late 2009. But you don’t see many Republicans or anyone else speaking very highly of it now. Senate Republicans didn’t offer anything in 2009-10 as an alternative to the ACA. Either thinking they could block the ACA with just forty-one votes or hoping it would pass so they would have a campaign issue.

Right now the only plan on the table is the Affordable Care Act, because no one else has a plan. At least something that could even pass the Republican House of Representatives. Which means the only alternative would be going back to pre-2010 and back to the old system. That most of the country didn’t like because so many Americans either couldn’t afford health insurance. Or would be denied it because of a pre-existing-condition, or would lose their health insurance because they would actually need it.

If you repeal without replacing the ACA, you go back to the old system. And right now Americans who still do not like the ACA are saying that ObamaCare is still better than the old system. Which is why the politics of trying to repeal ObamaCare just doesn’t work and won’t work at least until they come up with an alternative to ObamaCare. And say, “we know you don’t like the old system or the current system. And this is what we would do instead and why it would be better.
Source:National Review

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.