It’s Mitt in New Hampshire!

The Video: (H/T HotAir.com)

The Story:

Mitt Romney has won the New Hampshire primary, Fox News projects, notching back-to-back victories in the first two contests of the presidential nominating season.

Fox News also projects that Ron Paul will finish second and Jon Huntsman will finish third. Rick Perry is projected to finish in sixth place — the rest of the night is shaping up to be a race for fourth, between Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum. Both candidates are pulling in 10 percent of the vote. 

Also unclear is Romney’s margin of victory, though Fox News projects he will win by double digits. With 40 percent of precincts reporting, Romney is leading with 37 percent of the vote. Paul has 24 percent and Huntsman has 17 percent. — Romney Wins New Hampshire Primary, Fox News Projects | Fox News

Like I previously wrote; What other choice do Republicans really have? South Carolina will be a telling primary and challenge for Romney. But so far, I think he has the nomination in the bag.

Update: Now a Memeorandum Thread.

More of that Religion of Peace: Man shoots at police to “bring attention to Islam.”

Dang, second one this week. Getting to be a pattern. Hmph, maybe Obama is give orders of distraction?

Charming fellow:

A man thought to be an Islamic extremist is believed to have shot the windows out of at least two businesses in Alabama City early Sunday to lure police officers to the area and engage them in a shootout.

 Luis Ibarra-Hernandez was charged with attempted murder. (Special to The Times)

Luis Ibarra-Hernandez, 21, from Albertville, was charged today with attempted murder, according to a news release from the Gadsden Police Department.

“After the man was taken into custody, he reported that he knew he must do something extreme to draw attention to Islam and himself, so he planned to shoot police officers,” Gadsden Police Capt. Regina May said.

Gadsden police officers responded to alarm calls for glass breakage after doors were shot out about 1:30 a.m. Sunday at AutoZone and Rainbow Food Mart near the intersection of 27th Street and West Meighan Boulevard.

While investigating the broken doors and determining they were shot out, officers heard gunfire and spotted a man near the old CVS building.— Man in custody after shootout with police in Alabama City | GadsdenTimes.com

I am sure CAIR will have lawyers down there to file a suit against them “White racist Zionist pigs.” (sarcasm)

Others: Jihad Watch, The Camp Of The Saints and Atlas Shrugs

Gallup Poll: Majority of Conservatives See Romney as “Acceptable”

My question is what other choice do they really have? ConfusedI dont know

The Poll via Gallup:

PRINCETON, NJ — Mitt Romney is the now the only candidate that a majority of conservative and moderate/liberal Republicans nationwide see as an “acceptable” GOP nominee for president. Conservative Republicans are more likely to say Romney would be an acceptable nominee than either Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum.

Fewer than half of conservative Republicans see Rick Perry, Ron Paul, or Jon Huntsman as acceptable nominees.

Romney’s broad acceptability across ideological lines is decidedly not the case for his competitors. Conservative Republicans view Gingrich, Santorum, and Perry as more acceptable than do moderate/liberal Republicans. On the other hand, moderate/liberal Republicans on average view Paul and Huntsman as more acceptable than conservatives.

Acceptability of 2012 Republican presidental candidates, by ideology

 

 

The rest of that makes for some interesting reading. My question is, what choice do we really have? I dont know I mean, Gingrich is a populist bomb thrower who would scare off any independent voters and the social Conservatives view his multiple marriages as a cardinal sin. Ron Paul will never be elected, the Neoconservative majority in the party will never allow that. Rick Santorum will never win the primary, just because he is too socially conservative and the GOP does want someone who will appeal to voters.  Jon Huntsman can never seem to gain any traction, mainly because the Conservative base sees him as a traitor to the party for working for President Obama. So, who else is there? Mitt will win over the Conservative base and they will hold their nose and vote for him. Mitt might be able to win over the Independents and hopefully the Evangelical base, although, I do have my doubts about that one.

Another thing too is this; Santorum will have the Catholic vote sowed up and they are a big voting demographic. However, the Independents who are catholic and non-catholic, might not be swayed towards him. Another thing to watch for is disgruntled Democrats, who have given the Democratic Party the ol’ “One finger salute” and decided that Obama just failed too badly and want something different. Those people are one’s to watch as well.

Let me say this about Romney and Evangelical Christians; the majority of them would be accepting to a Mormon President. However, there is a small; but very vocal minority of them that will not vote for him under no circumstances at all.  Mainly, it is some of the “old school” Fundamentalists – and some Baptists, who would not vote for the man at all.  Now personally, I am not too keen on the idea myself. However, at this point, anything is better than that mental midget in the White House now.

The problem with Romney is that he is squeaky clean on social issues and he is very well funded. You just cannot outrun someone like that. Hillary tried and failed and so will anyone who runs against Mitt.  Believe me when I tell you, I do not like that thought no more than anyone else; but facts are facts.

Others: today.yougov.com News, American Prospect, The Caucus, Washington Post, Hot Air, The Other McCain, Indecision Forever, American Spectator, Catholic Bandita, Ballot Box, Weasel Zippers, Outside the Beltway, Patterico’s Pontifications, Ricochet Conversations Feed, National Review and The Lonely Conservative (Via Memeorandum)

Jay Nordlinger makes a good point

Now some people would say that this is typical Republican establishment stuff, but I do not see it that way.  He is making the same point as Michelle Malkin did, and she is not an establishment Republican, not by a long shot.

Via NRO’s the Corner:

The last two presidential election cycles have revealed a stinking hypocrisy in conservatives: They profess their love of capitalism and entrepreneurship, but when offered a real capitalist and entrepreneur, they go, “Eek, a mouse!” And they tear him down in proud social-democrat fashion. In the off season, they sound like Friedrich Hayek. When the game is on, they sound like Huey Long, Bella Abzug, or Bob Shrum.

Last time around, Mike Huckabee said Romney “looks like the guy who laid you off.” Conservatives reacted like this was the greatest mot since Voltaire or something. To me, Romney looked like someone who could create a business and hire the sadly unentrepreneurial like me.

Others said, “He looks like a car salesman,” or, worse, “a used-car salesman.” Ho ho ho! Commerce, gross, icky, yuck. Better Romney looked like an anthropology professor.

[…..]

Now Romney has said, “I like being able to fire people who provide services to me. You know, if someone doesn’t give me the good service I need, I want to say, ‘You know, I’m going to get someone else to provide that service to me.’” Simple, elementary competition. Capitalism 101. And conservatives go, “Eek, a mouse!”

I could go on: the $10,000 bet, the pink slips, conservatives wetting their pants, over and over. They have no appetite to defend capitalism, to persuade people, to encourage them not to fall for the old socialist and populist crap. I fled the Democratic party many years ago. And one of the reasons was, I couldn’t stand the class resentment, the envy, the hostility to wealth, the cries of “Richie Rich!” And I hear them from conservatives, at least when Romney is running.

Go ahead, have your “bloodbath” in South Carolina. Make Romney the little guy in the top hat and tails, from the Monopoly game. Have your Santorum, your Perry, your Newt. They may carry something like four states in the fall, but at least they’ve never sullied their hands with — eek! — business.

Perhaps after the election, while Obama is deepening the country’s poverty, Romney and others like him can find a party friendly to capitalism. We conservative Republicans turn out to be cradle-to-gravers, like everyone else.

Now obviously the man is a Romney supporter, because he does believe that nobody can win, but Romney.  Now that I disagree with, because the grassroots no not like the man, either does most of the evangelical Christian base.  Evangelicals just do not trust Mormons; they never have and most of them, when they are being very honest — do not really believe Mormons are Christians either.

One part that I totally relate to, as former “blue dog” or “Reagan” Democrat, is this:

I fled the Democratic party many years ago. And one of the reasons was, I couldn’t stand the class resentment, the envy, the hostility to wealth, the cries of “Richie Rich!”

Boy can I even relate to this one.  This was it for me too.  Although, the main reason for my leaving the Democratic Party for me was the stoking of the racial resentment towards white people, like me.  I mean, the, “You got what you have, because you is white and it was all handed to you on a platter!” gets a little old after a while.  The truth is I got everything that I own and have owned in the past was because I worked for it.  I did a good deal of tail busting to buy the stuff that I had and still do have; and I am not talking about sitting at a desk —- I did a good amount of back-breaking work!  Nobody ever handed me anything on a platter.  Heck, I will be honest.  I do not have a high school diploma.  I have A.D.H.D and I suck very badly at math.  Oh, I can keep my checking account balanced.  (Thank You GOD for technology!)  However, I will not be applying at NASA anytime soon.

Another point that I believe is fair to make this; and I have made this on my previous blog and I think on this one too.  Populists — whether progressive or conservative — are under the impression that “big business” is the enemy.  This is a lie that has origins in the era before the progressive movement; I am referring to the populist era that lasted from 1891 until 1908.  The truth is, big business is not the enemy, big Government, and regulation is the enemy of the American people.  As much as it sounds like I am being heartless; but, in a capitalistic society like ours, which is a free society, businesses who produce and make a profit succeed, those who are failing lose and usually close up.  Because of this, people lose jobs — it happens and it is a part of the process.  A Presidential candidate that is running as a Conservative that accuses someone of being overtly evil, because they happen to be a part of the process of capitalism — is making the Democrat’s argument for them, and should not be calling himself or herself even remotely a Conservative.

MAJORLY MAJOR UPDATE JAN 11, 2011 – My friends, I do really believe what I wrote above; please do not think that I don’t. Because I do. However, after watching this video here; I could not ever, in good conscience; support Mitt Romney.  Why? Because I was under the impression that a few small companies got shut down; these were not small companies, these were HUGE companies and a WHOLE BUNCH OF PEOPLE got hurt because of simple greed. To me, as a born-again Christian, there is just something very unchristian about ruining people’s lives — just because you can — sorry my friends, I am all for business. But I am not, nor have I ever been for, capitalism at the expense of other people’s lives and livelihoods.  I just cannot support that at all. 😡

 

Humble request to ZeroHedge

I really hate having to criticize other bloggers. Because I happen to know that Blogging is a tough thing to do without some idiot outsider criticizing your work. It sucks and I know I do not like it when people do it to me. However, I believe this one is highly warranted.

I posted here last night about a possible pop in China’s economy. So, this morning, I happen to go over to ZeroHedge’s site and see the following headline:

“China Is Proud To Announce It Is Reflating The Bubble – Will “Actively Push” Investors Into Stocks”

Here is the little problem with the above story. There is NO reference link to the story at Bloomberg. The nearest thing I could find was a story similar in nature, but included nothing that was referenced in the story above. I am not accusing Zerohedge of lying. But, something is quite fishy here. Either Bloomberg reedited the story, because maybe part of it was fished out as bogus or someone at Zerohedge took some editorial liberties.

Either way, the story got bounced around the Alex Jones crowd a bit and I wanted to fish it out and see if it were true or not. However it is quite hard to do that, when there is no reference link to it. So, to the guys over Zerohedge; guys, please, links to stories or they’re not true, is that too much to ask?

Thanks,

-Pat

 

Is China’s Economy about to collapse?

This is not the first time I have heard this, but:

Which does China face? A popped real estate bubble could exert a big drag. Housing construction exceeds 10 percent of GDP. That’s historically high, says Lardy. At a similar stage of economic development, Taiwan’s housing investment was 4.3 percent of GDP. In the recent U.S. real estate boom, housing peaked at 6 percent of GDP. In China, housing stimulates much consumer spending (furniture, appliances) and accounts for 40 percent of steel production, notes Lardy. Land sales are also a big revenue source for local governments. All would suffer from a housing bust.

There are mitigating factors. Outside Beijing and Shanghai, it’s unclear that housing prices are “out of line with household income growth,” says economist Eswar Prasad of Cornell University. Chinese buyers also typically make large cash payments for their properties. Compared to United States, a housing bust is less likely to become a banking crisis as mortgages sour.

Whatever happens, China’s economic model is reaching its limits, as Lardy argues. It has relied on exports, promoted through the controlled exchange rate, and investment, including housing, subsidized by cheap credit. Meanwhile, Chinese savers have been punished by the low returns on deposits. This dampens their incomes and consumption spending. The trouble is that the global slowdown threatens exports and housing’s excesses threaten investment. Unless China can switch to stronger consumption spending, its economy will slow — or it will achieve growth by becoming even more predatory toward other countries. — Is a Chinese economic slump on the horizon? – The Washington Post

Go read that whole thing, because this is the best case for this belief. The funny thing, the people over a GoldSilver.com have been saying this for a while:

Go check them out and get into Gold and Silver; before you lose it all.

Here is a good reason why I will be voting Republican in 2012

This is very scary…:

In his remarks, Genachowski said the program has been successful, but has also been plagued with problems of accountability and efficiency. Multiple service providers are often supplying Lifeline subsidies to the same households, he said, because there is no centralized system. To address the issue, Genachowski said, the draft proposal creates a national database of Lifeline users to prevent duplicative billing. It also sets a budget for Lifeline aimed at connecting eligible consumers while staying within budget, and requires that participating companies be subject to independent audits every two years. — via FCC’s Genachowski proposes broadband reform – Post Tech – The Washington Post

National Database of internet users? Yeesh. 🙁 The Democratic Party has gone mad. Go read, that whole thing. I will say this; that low income thing is a crock; if they do it for them, they will do it for everyone. This is why we have to win in 2012 and further more, Why we also have to pick a real Conservative and not some idiotic Rockerfeller big-goverment Republican. Which is why I do not quite understand why people like Michelle Malkin get upset over the back and forth that is going on.

The Republican grassroots and the Conservative grassroots; which does include me — needs to know what they are getting this time. The last time around, everyone just followed behind what the Republican establishment gave them. Not this time; we are better informed, and thanks to twitter, facebook and blogs, we communicate better. Which is why elitists like President Barack Obama hate the internet so much. To be fair, I would be willing to bet some Republicans dislike it too.

(H/T Drudge)

Palin’s Hubby endorses Newt

This comes via Ace:

Todd Palin said he believes that being in the political trenches and experiencing the highs and lows help prepare a candidate for the future and the job of president.

He did not criticize any of the other candidates and said his “hat is off to everyone” in the Republican race.

But Todd Palin did point to last summer, when a large portion of Gingrich’s staff resigned and the candidate was left, largely by himself, to run the campaign.

Gingrich’s ability to overcome the obstacle and still move up in the polls showed his ability to campaign and survive, according to Todd Palin, who said Gingrich is not one of the typical “beltway types” and that his campaign has “burst out of the political arena and touched many Americans.” — Todd Palin Endorses Newt Gingrich – ABC News

I will resist the temptation to mock her for having her hubby do her dirty work. It could very well be that they both disagree on whom they support. It is primary season after all. I really do not see this being any sort of a game changer or anything. I will say this — the reason Newt’s staffers bolted back last summer is because they did not think Newt was really serious about running. Hmmm, kinda like — wait. I won’t say it. Never mind. 🙄

Others: : The Hill, GOP 12, The Jawa Report, Campaign 2012, The Right Scoop, The Raw Story, Conservatives4Palin and Wake up America

Video: Why I do not entirely trust Fox News

Anyone that reads the blog knows that, yes, I am a Christian. However, I find a good deal of the social Conservative movement to be troubling. Mainly, because of a big-Government statists that exist within those circles. A perfect example of this is Fox News and Fox News’s Bill O’Reilly.

Bill O’Reilly is also a social traditionalist or if you prefer a social conservative. While I believe that his intentions might be pure; he does have the mentality that the Government must protect its citizens from social perversion. I am afraid, as much as I enjoy watching Bill’s show and that Network; that this is a Statist mentality and files directly in the face of what true Conservatism is about.  This video also shows that Fox News channel is, just like its socialist counterparts at MSNBC and CNN; pursuing an agenda that includes outright false information.

Enjoy the video:

Again, I do not feel Fox News or Bill O’Reilly to be overly evil or anything. (little strange at times, maybe! 😉 ) I just disagree with his statism very highly.

Tony Blankley RIP

Sad News:

Tony Blankley, a noted conservative author and commentator and former editorial page editor of The Washington Times, died late Saturday, according to family sources. He was 63 and had been battling stomach cancer.

Mr. Blankley was an executive vice president of the Edelman public-relations firm in Washington, a visiting senior fellow in national-security communications at the Heritage Foundation, a syndicated newspaper columnist and an on-air political commentator for CNN, NBC and NPR.

He was also a regular weekly guest on “The McLaughlin Group.”

Mr. Blankley was editorial page editor of The Times from 2002 to 2007, and from 1990 to 1997 he served as press secretary and general adviser to former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. – Ex-Times Editorial Page Editor Tony Blankley dead at 63 – Washington Times

RIP.

Others: Scared Monkeys, The Sundries Shack, NewsBusters.org and Outside the Beltway (Via Memeorandom)