We won–the debate is over


"First win the debate then the election" - Margaret Thatcher

We keep hearing about how this is a democrat year and that the Republicans face an incredibly strong (and many say insurmountable head wind) this November.

I am not a pollster, and I know that it can be challenging to differentiate what I want to happen from a pure analytical analysis of what will ultimately happen or what is likely happen.

All I know is this. Despite Obama’s many personal strengths and the purported strengths of the democrat party this November, Obama has been spending 90% of his time in recent weeks talking about cutting taxes.

He has probably spent more time talking about cutting taxes in the last three weeks than Reagan did in the run up to the 1980 election (Reagan consistently included foreign policy stuff in his speeches and touched on a wide variety of issues).

Obama is sounding like one trick pony at this point, and if you didn’t realize what his record is, he could easily be construed as a middle of the road Republican (but for a certain “spreading of the wealth” comment).

This is similar to when Bill Clinton declared the end of the era of Big Government.

Despite everything, Obama feels compelled to try and sound like Reagan–to sound as conservative as he can without turning off his base.

This says a lot of good things about where the country is.

Lets just help people connect some dots.

[Update] When both parties are in a debate as to who the best task cutter is, it is time to win the election.


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Well it is a tough economic time

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:13PM EST (link)

There’s no question but that people are nervous about economic issues at the moment. In that climate talk of tax cuts is going to be useful. I’d even guess that talk of “spread the wealth” plays quite a bit better with the masses than it does here, at least right now.

 

Paying taxes is patriotic

Michael DeWeese (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:19PM EST (link)

Paying taxes is patriotic

A recent poll on the DailyKOS regarding Obama’s promise to cut taxes revealed that 10% of the faithfull believe that Obama will NOT keep his promise when elected.

Get LOST...thanks

speciallist (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:33PM EST (link)

*shrug*

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:41PM EST (link)

Feel free to argue any of my points. Otherwise I’m not inclined to pay attention.

Anybody who reads...

speciallist (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:43PM EST (link)

Anybody who reads your comment history will quickly come to conclusion that You are a Lib trouble maker..You are transparent…Bye

Actually it doesn't

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:47PM EST (link)

Obama slipped up because he doesn’t understand how middle class tax cuts is a different message from spread the wealth.

Thats because to Obama, its the government’s money.

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

So 10% of the people at the DailyKos are not idiots

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:48PM EST (link)

Most of the Obama supporters that I know are quite skeptical of the tax cut talk.

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

What points? "Spreading the wealth" is not a popular position

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:49PM EST (link)

Provide some evidence that it is, or realize that you are just another lefty spouting off a conclusion with no factual support.

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

Sorry J...i did circles with this guy last night...trouble maker

speciallist (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:50PM EST (link)

I have a diray on that very topic

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:51PM EST (link)

if you want to discuss the issue.

But to address your point- the question is whether the masses will make the same distinction you do between “middle class tax cuts” and “spread the wealth” (regardless of the accuracy of the distinction, since elections turn on perception not fact).

Nothing to apologize for--rock on!

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:54PM EST (link)

and thanks for the recommend.

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

I doubtthere's been any specfoc polling

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:57PM EST (link)

of “spread the wealth” but we can look at the generic polling between McCain and Obama since the debate. That’d give us a first order approximation since it has become a major message from the MCCain campaign (along with “Joe the Plumber”).

If we look at the polls we do see a small amount of movement towards McCain in the national polls, and essentially none in the battleground states. According to Nate Silver this appears to be a firming up of the conservative base, which makes sense since that’s precisely whom calls of “socialism” will resonate with.

The 538 article is here

Blech

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 3:59PM EST (link)

must remember to spell check titles.

It is helping McCain

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:01PM EST (link)

which is why the attack machine has gone off on Joe the Plumber.

People support progressive income taxes, but they do not support progressive incomes taxes for the purposes of raw wealth transfers.

Only a socialist would fail to understand the difference, which is why any democrat north of the Mason-Dixon line doesn’t understand the difference.

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

I was gonna Ignore you ...but one more thing...you just totally wussed out!...LOL

speciallist (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:04PM EST (link)

Hmmm, maybe

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:15PM EST (link)

I’d be interested to see supporting evidence for that contention that people don’t support wealth transfers.

I suspect that the vast majority of the population do not regard “socialism” the same way conservatives do. But maybe I’m wrong.

Well Tamblin those 13-15 percent who have not yet been sold will break for what they know and not for the NEW!

JadedByPolitics (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:27PM EST (link)

again the debate is OVER WE WIN!! you will crying in brie on Nov 4th!

How doy know that Obama will spread the wealth to...."YOU"???

Rod_Patrick (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:27PM EST (link)

Based on his and his wife’s records in Chicago…

  1. BARACK AND MICHELLE SPREAD THE WEALTH WITHIN THEIR FAMILY ALONE… HE COULD’NT EVEN SHARE SOME OF HIS WEALTH TO HIS RELATIVES IN KENYA, particularly his Brother!!!

  2. Obama will force us to use COSTLY ETHANOL MIX that pushes all the prices of commodities using corn as input factor such as meat. Obama will spread your income to ethanol companies who are lobbying for a President Obama.

  3. With Al Gore around, Obama will force all Americans to “spread their wealth” around the world to finance Global Climate Change.
    ….

No, my friend. Obama will SPREAD YOUR INCOME AND WEALTH TO FINANCE HIS “POLITICAL CORRECTNESS” POLICIES.

Through Obama Presidency, all Americans will end up POOR…like most people in Europe and third world countries. Sending in all the illegal aliens will further worsen our situation…. after Obama’s term…. we will end up in place where Obama came from… A THIRD WORLD OBAMA.

I certainly will

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:30PM EST (link)

be crying Nov 4th because I don’t like either presidential nominee in the slightest. This is very much a lose-lose election for me (and I suspect everyone).

Again, perception

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:35PM EST (link)

Very few people think of themselves as rich, which is exactly why soak the rich themes tend o be popular. Unless your last name is Gates or Walton it’s easy to believe you’re not wealthy, even if you are well above the median.

The fact that Obama is not repeating the phrase is indicative that he knows it hurts him

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:44PM EST (link)

nt

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

Sounding more and more like a lib who really doesn't understand that there are a lot of Joe the Plumbers out there

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:46PM EST (link)

People agree to a progressive income tax, but raw transfers of money have never been and never will be popular.

That is why Obama is adopting the language of refundable tax credits.

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

the "perception" of 25% of Americans is that Bush wanted 9/11 to happen

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:51PM EST (link)

I have no doubt that a greater percentage than that support “spreading the wealth.” However, the majority do not, nor do a majority of the swing voters is evidenced by the fact that nobody of significance besides Obama in the past 30 years of presidential politics has used the phrase, and Obama isn’t repeating it.

Lots of inferential proof in favor of my side of the argument. Of course, I can’t conclusively prove that you are from earth, are a human being, etc.

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

You are wrong Tamblin this is not a lose/lose for me because our next President...

JadedByPolitics (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:52PM EST (link)

is sitting right behind John McCain as VP IN my part of the base WE look forward to Palin/Jindal…..you have NOTHING to look forward to and that is FUNNY!

If you say so

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:56PM EST (link)

I think it’s a little early to forecast the 2012 (or 2016) political situation right now.

could be

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 4:57PM EST (link)

or it might just not be a message Obama’s campaign wants to push. After all there’s a difference between “hurts” and “doesn’t help.”

I was answering Rod Patrick's question

I was previously Tlaloc, and I was banned last year. (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 5:00PM EST (link)
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

I've found the very best thing to convince an undecided person is to turn them on to Rush.

Tim_Schieferecke (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 6:28PM EST (link)

There is no one in this world that can explain conservatism as well as he can and keep people entertained long enough to stay and get the message. Tell them about how funny his parodies are to get them started and they will get hooked. He’s like drugs, but drugs that are good for you.

Tim Schieferecke

No doubt. Short of getting someone to look at video of Ronald Reagan speeches, Rush is the best

JSobieski (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 8:07PM EST (link)

nt

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

The CIA has stars for unnamed agents killed in action.

Tim_Schieferecke (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 8:14PM EST (link)

I wonder if Media Matters has hammers and sickles on the wall to represent each of their program observers that quit when they realized their is NO comparison between the benefits of free market capitalism and the evil shackles of socialism. Rush is the best.

Tim Schieferecke

Everyone

alicelouise58 Saturday, October 18th at 9:20PM EST (link)

has a side of Schadefreude. For instance most on RedState would probably love it if a Limousine Liberal Manhattan Socialite had their million dollar penthouse redistributed to the lumpenproles of the South Bronx that they love so much.

It wouldn’t be right, of course.

It is not to early to predict the ticket for 2012....

JadedByPolitics (Diary) Saturday, October 18th at 9:44PM EST (link)

Hillary knew she would run in 04 and Obama knew he was going to run in 05 and started in 06 so NO it is not to early!

The name Media Matters becomes more ironic with each passing day

JSobieski (Diary) Sunday, October 19th at 6:24AM EST (link)

nt

My rules of the road for primary season.
Rule #1: Vote for YOUR first choice in the primaries
Rule #2: Vote for the R in the general.
Rule #3: Don’t let anyone convince you to violate Rule #1 or Rule #2
Rule #4: When in a center-right argument, reaffirm Rules #1-#3–it will help us all to get along better.
Rule #5: If you are using the language of the left, you probably aren’t furthering conservativism
Rule #6: The priority is issues first, candidates second, and supporters third. Nobody is bigger than the issues. Conversely, if you spend your time focusing on supporters, you are wasting everyone’s time.

STOP THE MADNESS!

A reduction in the rate of spending increases is NOT a cut!
In-state tuition for illegals is NOT amnesty!
Requiring someone to pay their medical bills is NOT an individual mandate!
Reducing tax rates is NOT a tax increase!

No. My friend.

Rod_Patrick (Diary) Monday, October 20th at 1:48AM EST (link)

It’s not just perception. It’s a recollection of the “recently established facts”. Among others, Barack has no history of spreading his own wealth to his relatives (Case in point: Obama’s Half Brother in Kenya). Check out Hyde Park where Obama’s “spreading of wealth” should have started 3 years ago. Hyde Park is the place of the rich, intellectual and elite in South Chicago… snobbing the riot-infested slum areas due to cultural diversity. Obama’s clique spread their wealth to Obama and not the other way around. Case in point: Rezco and Michelle’s NGO giving her US$100K per month pay. It cannot be denied that:

Spreading the wealth to you or anyone else is ABOVE OBAMA’s pay grade.

That alone should make you RECONSIDER your position about OBAMA as your agent of spreading the wealth.

Your idea of “median” represents your “political correctness”. If “spreading the wealth” is a truism or a generally accepted principle, that should be applied to all people not just to Americans. Since even the poor Americans are far richer compared to “above median” people in third world countries… then your principle advocates that all Americans must spread their wealth even to all people on Earth. Such principle is therefore Anti-American… it will furhter confound our economic and financial problems right now. Ironically, that viewpoint is highly consistent with Obama’s Global Poverty Bill.

No my friend. Just like the poor Americans, third world countries have the RIGHT AND OBLIGATION to CREATE THEIR OWN WEALTH ACCORDING TO THEIR OWN TERMS. On the outside, “spreading the wealth” seems very egalitarian and just. Inside this idea, you will find contempt for wealth, envy, laziness, reluctance to admit past mistakes, and most of all… HATE to Americans.

But when the wealth is spread, true inefficiencies will come in. Example: the Old USSR, the present France and Germany, the decaying productivity of UK. If that’s the new order in the next four years, the capabilities of even the smallest investing Americans shall be lost. We will all end up waiting for the Government to make “capital investments” in order for us to earn income, as we shall become dependent on the “job creation” by the Government. *In Obama’s policies, WE’LL LOSE not just labor productivity but capital productivity. * The more you allow the Government to do the investment for you, the more you will end up poorer.

In summary, “spreading the wealth” means that you have to surrender your RIGHT, FREEDOM AND PERSONAL WILL to make your own investment, to make things better for you, and to dictate your own fate and fortune. In fact, such freedom is the essential(McCain’s fundamental) ingredient for development and growth since they create NEW WEALTH. Spreading the wealth has a collateral of Greater Government Control (not just regulation). Case in point: Further deterioration by the European economies because such essential ingredient to growth by the European people themselves have already diminished.

PS: You posted the Obama’s idea of spreading the wealth here at RS. In effect, you are promoting it. Everyone, including brother Jobieski, has the right to respond and oppose you silly Anti-American idea.