1. Superficial Agreement

2. Maybe That’s Why He Is Unemployed

3. The Moment With Lasting Impact

4. Herman Cain’s Unrealistic Economic Plan

1. Superficial Agreement

Last night on AC360, John King filled in for Anderson Cooper and noted that a number of the Republican Presidential candidates are tempering their tone toward the Occupy Wall Street crowd. He asked if I stood by all my harsh words toward them. “Absolutely,” I replied.Part of the reason the candidates are toning down is because it is a good way to put more light on Mitt Romney being more of Wall Street than the rest of them. There is a populist campaign against Wall Street to be waged by the GOP and Mitt Romney can’t do it.But in waging such a campaign — one I think needs to be waged — the right needs to be very careful about going too far down the Occupy Wall Street road.The hipsters, hippies, and assorted police car poppers on Wall Street are as upset as some on the right with the bank bailouts, etc. Superficially there is a lot to agree on.Please click here for the rest of the post.

2. Maybe That’s Why He Is Unemployed

Does the White House just not vet these people?The Obama Administration wanted to show the President in a blue collar setting, so they put him at a table with several bottles of Budweiser and some unemployed workers. Note that the President had a Budweiser in front of him, but wisely opted for a Guiness.In any event, one of the unemployed workers is a guy named Mark McKim. Turns out Mr. McKim was arrested in 2006 for DUI and possession of drugs. In 2007, he was arrested for violating probation.There might be a reason other than the GOP for Mr. McKim’s unemployment.Again, does the White House not vet these people?Please click here for the rest of the post.

3. The Moment With Lasting Impact

Joining the league of people who got to the first tier, Herman Cain is now under withering fire for his 9-9-9 plan and what it’ll mean for the country. Thus far he has held his own, but he is going to have to do better.For example, saying that he’d require a 2/3 vote to repeal his plan is unconstitutional unless he somehow is able to get it stuck in the constitution as an amendment thereto.Likewise, saying the American people will keep pressure on Congress to not alter or increase the rates is not credible given that Cain and the other Republicans are fighting to repeal a health care law that Congress and the White House pushed through despite a majority of Americans opposed to it and a tea party movement energized to fight it.Please click here for the rest of the post.

4. Herman Cain’s Unrealistic Economic Plan

One of the first things you learn as a young infantry officer is that hope is not a method. You don’t hope the enemy behaves in a certain way. You don’t hope support shows up at the right time. You don’t lead an operation that is based on hope.As Herman Cain has shot to a surprising lead in the polls more attention has turned to his signature economic program: the 9-9-9 Plan.There is a lot that is superficially attractive about the plan. It’s shortcoming is that it relies entirely on hope. Not just any hope but a hope that runs contrary to everything we know about human nature and the way government operates.For the sake of argument we’ll stipulate that the Plan will do all those things Mr. Cain claims. It will produce more revenue in a fairer way than the current system. I don’t disagree with that. Sending regiments of Cossacks out to pillage the countryside would achieve the same purpose.The plan is unrealistic for two reasons: Congress must pass it and Congress must sustain it.Please click here for the rest of the post.