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By Gregory Taggart, January 25, 2012 10:43 am

Mitt’s true tax rate is 44.75%. And then there’s all that giving stuff.

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By Gregory Taggart, January 25, 2012 9:58 am

Charles Krauthammer praised Mitch Daniels’s speech in the GOP response to the SOTU as being “one of the best” and as one “best presentations of the Conservative idea against the larger government of Obama.”

It was a good speech, but there’s nothing in it–nothing–that hasn’t been said by Mitt Romney. Nothing. Watch it here or, better, read it yourself. Do you see anything that hasn’t been said before–and as well?

I have nothing against Daniels. I hardly know the guy. But this pining for him or for Jeb Bush, for what might have been if only they had entered the race, for all that green grass on the other side of the fence, has to stop. We have some good men (at one time, women) who took up the challenge and entered the race. That because of the insane debate schedule they have endured and the resultant overwhelming scrutiny they’ve received, of course that other grass looks greener. But as we all know in our heart of hearts, it’s not.

Unfortunately, Krauthammer is not the only one pining for Daniels. Michael Uhlmann, for example, said that “Mitch Daniels, in reply, sounded exactly the right note — one that has been almost entirely lost in the childish cacophony of the Republican primaries to date. He sounded like a grown-up.” Mona Charen sounded a similar note, calling the candidates “second rate.”

And the candidates are childish? Please.

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By Gregory Taggart, January 24, 2012 8:25 pm

Hillary called it “the best speech.” She needs to get out more. A federal law against dropping out of high school? Government should only do what can’t do for ourselves? Doesn’t compute.

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By Gregory Taggart, January 24, 2012 5:23 pm

Hey, I’ve been posting irregularly and with little enthusiasm because some twit had compromised my blog so that every time I opened a page, popups would appear and/or my anti-virus software would announce that it had stumbled upon some malware. I’ve been so busy that last four months that I’ve not had the time to figure out and fix the problem.

Well, no more. My wife worked tirelessly yesterday and cleaned up our blogs–or most of them–including updating the the WordPress software to 3.3.1. And just in time, too! We’re in the middle of a hot race for the Repulican nomination for president, and now I have another stage from which to talk about that race and the one to follow.

Go Mitt!

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By Gregory Taggart, January 21, 2012 3:20 pm

What if Newt decides the Presidency is beneath him?

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By Gregory Taggart, August 12, 2011 10:55 am

Stephen Colbert has a little fun

with presidential hopeful, Mitt Romney, and this:

He does a pretty good and fair job, though I’d stay inside when the thunder clouds gather if I were him.

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By Gregory Taggart, June 8, 2011 3:23 pm

Ilya Shapiro nails it, and apparently, so did the judges of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals. Obamacare–the Affordable Care Act–is and always has been about power. Washington wants is. The people, at least people like me, don’t want to give it to them.

As the lawyer representing 26 states against the federal government said, “The whole reason we do this is to protect liberty.” With those words, former solicitor general Paul Clement reached the essence of the Obamacare lawsuits. With apologies to Joe Biden, this is a big deal not because we’re dealing with a huge reorganization of the health care industry, but because our most fundamental first principle is at stake: we limit government power so people can live their lives the way they want.

This legal process is not an academic exercise to map the precise contours of the Commerce Clause or Necessary and Proper Clause — or even to vindicate our commitment to federalism or judicial review. No, all of these worthy endeavors are just means to achieve the goal of maximizing human freedom and flourishing. Indeed, that is the very reason the government exists in the first place.

And the 11th Circuit judges saw that. Countless times, Judges Dubina and Marcus demanded that the government articulate constitutional limiting principles to the power it asserted. And countless times they pointed out that never in history has Congress tried to compel people to engage in commerce as a means of regulating commerce.

In case anybody cares, I feel the same way about Climate Change. Even conceding that the globe is warming, I’m not willing to kneel before the would-be climate demigods, certainly not before them move from their Mount Olympus mansions and give up their jets. Yes, Al, I’m talking about you.

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By Gregory Taggart, June 6, 2011 3:09 pm

In his just-completed news conference, Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) apologized profusely for his bad judgment in Tweeting photos of himself, then lying about it. He did it because he was embarrassed about it.

That said, what’s interesting to me is how many people miss the big issue, the issue that was present in the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal. Blackmail.

This was brought home in two comments on Ann Althouse’s blog about Weinergate:

These people sit on committees and routinely receive sensitive information. Embarrassment is hard to take(ask Weiner), so if you can avoid embarrassment by lying about your actions or paying someone off or . . .

I have sympathy for him. His apology seemed heartfelt. However, it came about not because he wanted to apology. It came about because he had no other choice. What if he had had another choice? What if he could have made the allegations go away with a little money, a small kickback, a leak? What if?

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By Gregory Taggart, June 3, 2011 6:46 pm

Dilma’s Chief of Staff, Antonio Palocci, may be on the way out, apparently for making a little too much money a little too fast. In fact, he somehow increased his wealth by $R10 million in one month. Not bad for government work.

Interestingly, as with Timothy Geitner, or TurboTax fame, claim to fame is that he’s indispensable. Or not.

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By Gregory Taggart, May 25, 2011 10:58 am

The weasely, lying fear mongers?

Or the person who actually takes the time to lay out the facts?