GOP debate
GOP debate
Date: Wednesday, October 10, 2007 4:52 AM
<<<<< JOB DESTRUCTION NEWSLETTER No. 1770 -- 10/10/2007 >>>>>
For those of you that didn't want to waste your time watching the GOP love
fest, you can read the transcript here:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119196048730753698.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
For the purpose of this newsletter I will talk about what they said on
immigration, trade, jobs, and, uh ... optimism. As all of you are surely aware
by now, I am an authority on optimism so I'll save that one for last.
Don't worry though -- it won't be that long of a newsletter since so little of
consequence was said.
<<<<< ISSUE #1: IMMIGRATION >>>>>
In the entire 2 hour debate, one question was asked about immigration.
Needless to say, none of the candidates had time to talk about issues such as
H-1B, guest workers, amnesty etc. They did however have time to debate whether
we should nuke Iran; and McCain said that he drinks a glass of ethanol every
morning before breakfast. Well, I guess to be fair it's 2:40 in the morning
and I'm drinking a glass of ethanol, although it's not 100%, so please don't
get the impression that I'm accusing McCain of being a boozer -- I was merely
making the point that the author of the McKennedy bill had nothing more
important to do than talk about his milk substitute.
I don't know if any of you have tasted pure ethanol, but if you are curious,
go buy a bottle of Everclear. It's nasty stuff! McCain must be a real stud to
drink a glass of that. Personally in the morning I prefer whole milk, but
lately my wife has been insisting that I drink 2%. Next thing you know she
will insist I drink skim milk. Yuck!! Everclear would be soooooo much better,
and after a few sips of that stuff I wouldn't care about her nagging! Hmmmmmm,
could that be why McCain drinks a glass of ethanol for breakfeast?
It seems that the Republicans actually managed to say less about immigration
than the Democrats in their last debate -- that's quite an accomplishment!
OK, drum rolls please, because this is the one question about immigration:
Mr. Matthews: Let me ask you, Senator. This is the first presidential
debate up near the border. We're only a few minutes from the Canadian border.
We're surrounded -- in fact, very close to our strongest trading partner. We
buy more from Canada than we do from China. We sell them about four times as
much as we buy from them. They're incredibly friendly with us although they
don't share our foreign policy. Tell me about the prime minister of Canada.
How would you get along with -- who is the prime minister of Canada?
A tip of the hat goes to Fred Thompson who knew the answer: Prime Minister
Harper.
Tancredo had no choice but to constantly answer off topic to mention the topic
of immigration. That's because everybody else avoided the topic like the
plague. He made some statements that would have been great openings for a
debate, but it never happened. Everyone just ignored him. Oh well, so much for
the hope we all had that Tancredo could make immigration, and hopefully H-1B,
part of the national debate.
This statement by Tancredo probably flew right over the heads of all the other
candidates, and probably over most of the audience that was still awake enough
to listen:
Mr. Tancredo: In particular, of course, I'm talking about the
immigration- related issues. I offered an amendment on the floor of the House
during the debate on CAFTA, Central America Free Trade Agreement, to say that
there will be no immigration issues contained inside of a trade package. It
was defeated. The chairman of the committee came down to the House floor
enraged that I would ever suggest such a thing. There's the problem. We are
talking about trade issues that actually begin to impact our national
sovereignty. There's the problem.
Besides Tancredo's occasional statements about immigration, this is a summary
of everything else that was said. I know you will think I'm kidding so search
the transcript and see for yourself.
Mr. McCain: If we're going to have real immigration reform, we're going to
have to have trust that we will secure the borders.
Mr. Brownback: My mother is not an illegal immigrant.
Mr. Giuliani: This country is the leader in the world. When Congressman
Tancredo talks about the immigration problem, how about look at it this
way: What country do millions of people want to come to? United States of
America. What country -- I don't care if they bash us all over the world --
what country do they most want to come to? What country do they most want to
copy?
<<<<< ISSUE #2: TRADE ISSUES >>>>>
There was lots of superficial talk about trade issues. I'll save you the
trouble of reading their drivel by summing up what they said. Duncan Hunter
and Tancredo were the only ones with something intelligent to say, which
explains why they have no chance of winning the nomination! I'll begin with
those two and then go to the belly busters:
Mr. Hunter: And I would say to my colleagues and Senator Thompson and the
other senators, you all voted for "most favored nation" trading status for
Communist China. That set the groundwork for 1.8 million high- paying
manufacturing jobs moving offshore, going offshore, some of them never to
return. And what I would do is pass the Hunter-Ryan bill which would put
countervailing duties on the Chinese when they cheat. They are cheating on
trade right now. I'd bring those jobs back home to the United States and I
would connect up the middle class of America with the Republican Party one
more time.
Mr. Tancredo: No. The negotiators for the Bush administration -- probably
the worst vote I ever cast was the vote to give the president fast track. Wish
I'd have never done it. And I'll tell you why. Because everything I have seen
subsequent to that time has been a package -- a trade package that I certainly
am concerned about from this standpoint. Not necessarily just the trade issues
that we're involved in. I mean, you know, talking about the tariffs. CAFTA --
here was a bill over a thousand pages long to do what, to reduce tariffs
between the six Central American countries and the United States?
Mr. Tancredo: There's the problem. We are talking about trade issues that
actually begin to impact our national sovereignty. There's the problem. We are
reducing the importance of borders and increasing the threat to national
sovereignty with the kind of trade programs that we put through up to this
point in time.
Mr. Thompson: Free and fair trade as been good for America; responsible for
millions of jobs in this country. We cannot turn our back on that.
Mr. Romney: Well, I believe in trade, but I believe in opening up markets
to American goods and services. I want to make sure that the American worker
gets a fair shake.
Mr. Giuliani: Well, I think we're on a verge of going in one direction or
another. I mean, for example, you want to get specific, the four trade deals
with Peru, Colombia, Panama, South Korea that are in front of Congress right
now, which the Democrats are trying to block, would be good deals for the
United States.
Mr. Huckabee: I think it really matters as to whether or not they're going
to be -- there's going to be a fair trade. And the fact is, we don't have fair
trade. And that's the issue we've got to address.
Mr. McCain: I'm a student of history. Every time the United States has
become projectionist and listened to this siren song that you're hearing
partially this stage tonight, we could pay at a very heavy price. The Smoot-
Hawley Tariff Acts in the 1930s were direct contributors to World War II. It
sounds like a lot of fun to bash Chinese and others, but free trade has been
the engine of our economy in the last half of this year; it will continue to
be. ... And free trade should be the continuing principle that guides this
nation's economy.
Ron Paul should sit in a corner with a dunce hat for this answer:
Ms. Bartiromo: Very quickly, down the line, same question: Should a Dubai
company be able to own 20% of NASDAQ? Congressman?
Mr. Paul: If there's no conflict with national security, certainly, yes,
they should.
<<<<< ISSUE #3: JOBS >>>>>
Of course they talked about other things, but one of the most important should
have been jobs. Of course you are probably wondering what the heck I'm talking
about since the DOW is over 14,000 points.
We can see just how important the jobs issue is by their vacuous
statements:
Mr. Romney: Industry is shrinking here, jobs are going away. This is just
unacceptable. And, therefore, everyone's going to have to come together to
solve the problem.... we're going to make sure that we invest in technology
and research. A lot of that relate into energy, fuels, automotive research
like material sites to help boost Michigan once again.
Mr. McCain: Everybody is paying taxes and wealth creates wealth. What's the
problem? It's not just here in Michigan. It's in the heartland of America.
We're losing industrial jobs and we're not taking care of those who are left
behind. And we've got to get wasteful spending under control.
Mr. Huckabee: You know Americans better than that. Nothing's going to
discourage them from spending money. Just go to any shopping center on
Saturday. You'll find that people aren't having to be begged to go spend
money. And so I hope, in the course of this, we can talk about how a fair tax
really lifts up everybody, including those at the bottom of the economic
spectrum and untaxes the poor people in our culture.
Mr. Duncan: I'm a sponsor of the fair tax. But let me tell you, Chris, what
is missing from this economy: 1.8 million jobs that have moved to communist
China from the United States, including over 54,000 jobs from Michigan.
Mr. Thompson: Well, in a dynamic economy there are jobs lost and there are
jobs gained, and so far there have been more jobs gained. And to put up
barriers and say that so-and-so cannot lose a job would be the wrong thing to
do in a free market economy. It's been so well for us. It's made us the most
prosperous nation in the history of the world.
<<<<< ISSUE #4: OPTIMISM >>>>>
The theme of the day was optimism. According to the Republican hopefuls, all
of our problems will be solved if we can elect an optimistic candidate
(Republican) instead of a pessimist (Democrat). Basically, all we need is the
right attitude, and those sourpuss Democrats all have the wrong attitude --
especially Hillary Clinton!
"and I live in a van down by the river!".
-- Matt Foley: Motivational Speaker
Mr. Huckabee: A lot of what has to happen is a restoring of the resilience
of optimism in this country.
Mr. Brownback: I think real plans like an optional flat tax we can do,
personal Social Security accounts, and being optimistic.
Mr. Giuliani: Actually, the concern there should be -- the way to balance
that is to sell more things overseas. That's the usual Democratic pessimistic
approach to how bad things are and how terrible things are.How about we try an
optimistic approach?
Mr. Romney: Our sense of optimism. America has to be optimistic and recognize
that there's nothing we can't overcome.
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