Unlike our adversaries, the liberal Democrats, Republicans are terrible salesmen. Ron paul is a perfect example of what I’m talking about. You may not agree with all of Ron Paul’s Libertarian positions but on 99% of the issues important to conservatives, Paul says what we want to hear. And he has been saying it to anyone who would listen for years. The problem for Paul is that very few people listen to him. He couldn’t sell water to a man dying of thirst. Most Republicans are not any better. Ronald Reagan was the last Republican I remember who knew how to sell an idea. Republicans don’t lack for good ideas. They just are bad salesmen.
Before I get to the point of today’s post, please watch and listen to this video. Pay special attention to the very last statement and question.
American economic freedom is indeed in decline relative to many other countries. The question of will our quality of life decline with it is, in my opinion, is rhetorical. Of course it will decline. That should be obvious.
Folks, something needs to be done to stop our economic decline and it needs to be done now. It can’t wat until 2013. Yes, I know the Republicans control only one branch of government. I understand that they are limited in what they can do. But, that doesn’t mean they have to sit on their hands until after the next election cycle.
IMHO, America desperately needs a spark of confidence that their lives will soon get better and not worse. There is rightfully a lot of pessimism in America today. But, I believe there is a way to get America moving at least a little in a positive direction.
I’ve been beating this drum since I started this blog last September. Something needs to be done right now to spark job growth. If there was a real surge in job growth, Americans would have a reason to belive the future. so, here I am beating my drum once more in the hope that someone will listen. We need to cut corporates taxes to 15 or 20 percent RIGHT NOW! THIS YEAR! This one act, although not the only thing that needs to be done to help tune-up our economic engine, could be just the medicine the doctor ordered.
How could the House Republicans get such a bill past the Democratically controlled Senate and the President? SALESMENSHIP! The House Republicans know this is a good idea and I believe it can be sold. It first, however, needs to be sold to the people on Main Street. With a good sales pitch about the jobs that would result from lowering corporate taxes, I believe Americans would get excited about this and that excitement would be hard for the Senate and the President to ignore.
Am I wrong about the benefits of reducing corporate taxes? And, if I am right, what are the House Republicans waiting for? Is it a failure of leadership? Is it that I am wrong and the timing isn’t right? as I pondered these questions this morning, a depressing thought entered my mind. Is it possible that the House Republicans are playing politics with the economic well-being of Americans? By this I mean, are they afraid to do anything that would have a positive effect on the economy before the elections of 2012, because they fear tha Obama would get the credit? I hope that is not the case. I firmly believe that if the idea were properly sold to the American public, they would throw their support behind the Republicans. We just need some good salesmen.
Well that’s what I’m thinking. What are your thoughts?
Asylum Watch 
I am not sure. Is the messenger not sending the message, or the Media isn’t covering it. I don’t think they have the capacity at this point to play politics. As for me, if we are to save our Republic, we best hope things don’t pick up. Sad to say, but true. Four more years of this regime will finish us.
I feel like we are sitting on a time bomb, Bunker. I know there are limits on what the House can accomplish but I’m convinced they could do so much more than they are. So much bad has happened in the last two and a half years and Obama still has the pedal to the metal. Another year and a half of unrestrained growth of government scares me.
NO LEADERSHIP + NO SALESMANSHIP = PLAYING POLITICS
Plain and simple, there has been such a total lack of regard as to ‘We The People’, it can only lead me to conclude that the huge majority of Congress is listening to WIIFM [what’s in it for ME].
As for Obamanation and his minions, they are just destroying our Nation on purpose!
We still have far too many RINOs; Don, and that makes me mad.
I am not sure that there is anything anyone can do short of a revolt til he is voted out. He is not interested in what anybody does or says. He is going to do what he wants no matter what. They are already reasoning that he doesn’t need Congress approval to raise the debt limit. Their argument is that Congress is irrelevant and that is how they intend to rule!
maybe you’re right, Patricia; but I’d sure like to see our Republicans at least try to do more. Why not force the Democrats to be the Party of No?
The GOP is too close to being Dem Lite, that’s their biggest problem, they want to be ALL things to ALL people, and that just won’t work..
You’re right, Fred, and that really burns my butt. You could probably count your fingers the number of Congressmen and Senators that actually give a damn about American and Americans.
As Calvin coolidge said: the business of America is business. Our dear leaders in Washington seem to have forgotten that.
They have forgotten a lot of things, haven’t they. Like the constitution for example.
Jim, if I was king for a week, I could get the economy turned around. Here is a list of my decrees:
1. Cut corporate taxes.
2. Institute either a flat tax or a fair tax (I’ll let my economic team of Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, and Lawrence Kotlikoff work out the details).
3. Expand energy production… Drill in the Gulf, and in Alaska. Combined with a one line environmental regulation: you make a mess, you clean it up.
4. Pass a law limiting the ability of environmental groups to prevent progress by bringing suit after suit.
5. Establish a commission that immediately voids any regulation that has burdensome costs and no real benefit to the people, and after they’re done voiding regulations from the last several years, set them to work weeding through all regulations, paring the regulatory burden down to common sense and transparency.
6. Void Obamacare.
7. Disband the Dept. of Energy, Dept. of Education, HUD, and more.
8. Revise Social Security to include both means testing and the ability to invest funds in private accounts.
9. Revise Medicare and Medicaid to make them means tested, block grant programs, not pay for service programs.
10. Change SEC rules for raising money to start a new business, including zero capital gains taxes on money invested in a start-up enterprise. (A lot of SEC rules would fall under the my regulation commission).
I could continue, but you get the picture… Just do 1, 2, and 3 and we’d start seeing a rebound before the end of the week. Throw in 4, 5, and 6 and it’d be Katie-bar-the-door.
Here’s the problem. First, unfortunately, I’m not king. Second, no matter how much salesmanship we do, the Dems are not going to budge off of their plan of class warfare and Progressive government. If they did, they’d disappear. It’s a matter of their very survival, not just electorally, but in psychologically. They can never admit that free enterprise principles can turn this economy around. I know it sounds absurd, because there is nothing else in the history of world that can, but they cease to be when they admit that’s true.
I also believe that we do have some good salesmen. Paul Ryan is excellent. Keep an eye on Pawlenty. He had a couple of bad moments, but his arguments are strong and his track record is good.
I don’t think anything can really happen until after the election. Progressive policies have to play out so the people see the full result and pull the plug on the experiment, because the Progressives themselves will not do it. Reagan needed Carter in the sense that we needed to experience the malaise to recognize that we wanted out of it. This time around Obama’s policies will do the same. But don’t count on Progressives to admit they are wrong, or adopt any conservative policies. The hill they choose to die on is class warfare, the environment (both merely as a means to power), and gargantuan government controlling our lives.
Class warfare and race warfare are two of the most vial things invented by man. Hate is such a powerful emotion and once it takes root it very hard to get rid of.
I do like your plan, Pat. so when do you plan to announce your candidacy? I’ll be glad to help in any way i can.
I said KING! Not president. And I only want a week, though the elected person who replaces me has to keep my economic team of Sowell, Williams, Kotlikoff, and for good measure John Hayward (Doc Zero). They are in charge of tax policy and can also head up the committee to get rid of regulations.
Interestingly, I’d pick you and any or all of your commenters and contributors to do any job in my… um… court (can’t be an administration if I’m king, right?) before I’d pick any Democrat in Washington right now, and over 80% of the Republicans. And we’d all do a better job!
sorry, Pat. The motion has been made a seconded. You are our man! Now, how much money do you think you’ll need to run ab effective campaign? We need to get our fund raisers going right away.
There is a lot of merit to your ideas sir. Fortunately, we cannot have a king, because many would not be willing to give up a large amount of power.
Crap… I thought I had it in the bag!
Not to worry, my friend. It’s not unusual That in time of need that greatness be thrust upon a man. I am confident that you will be a great president. So, grab your _ss and hang on baby! LOL
PAT FOR PRESIDENT!
I second that motion! All in favor say aye.
I generally agree with the platform of Pat. I also think he is right about not being able to do anything meaningful and permanent until after Nov. 2012, which encourages me to persuade Conservatives on Fire that the House Republicans are not sacrificing short term progress in hope of making Obama look bad. If that were the case Ryan would not have risked the proposals to reform Medicare. They have a mandate from 2010 and politically they cannot ignore it that easily without paying a price in 2012.
There is a lot of good sentiment in this thread, but we will do what we can do, and the number one “to do” is to win in 2012, or all else would have been for naught. Now, we can discuss how to do that, and I’m sure there would be different opinions as to the methods, but all is good as long as we stay concentrated in that goal.
Passion is good; principles are good; but brains are better.
Thanks for coming by and joining the conversation, John. I’ve have seen your comments on other sites and I admire your intellect. I regret that on this visit we do not agree. I did not suggest that House Republicans may be sacrificing short term goals to make Obama look bad. I wondered if they were afraid of achieving something positive that Obama would take credit for. That’s not the same thing. But that aside, you are apparently satisfied with the work our republicans are doing and I am suggesting they could be doing much more. To try to pass a bill to reduce corporate taxes in order to spur jobs growth worthwhile short term goal. That is the message I was trying to make.
Yo say passion and principles are good but brains are better. I would say that brains are indeed important but not more important. Obama has brains, so we are told, but he clearly lacks passion and principles.
The GOP couldn’t sell a steak to a starving millionaire…
You’re right on the corporate taxes.
Am i really asking too much?
Yes, indeed, ConsOnFire, I settle for all three – passion, principle and brains – being equally important.
Good on ya, John Galt!
I must say Jim that the Republicans are not as helpless as they would have us believe. They do indeed control the most important body of government and that’s the people’s house. The people’s house control the purse strings and therefore can cut off funding for pretty much anything they desire. We’ve bought into this lie, mostly sold to us by the establishment Republicans that they need more power to effect change. Nothing is further from the truth. If they wanted to change things now they could with the stroke of a pen. They simply choose not to because that want to create illusion that they need more power to effect change. They need more Republicans to repeal Obamacare because it’s the only way to repeal it. They have the power to defund it and that would kill it…and yet they would have us believe they are powerless. Jim you ask what are they waiting for? The answer is transparent…they’re waiting for 2012 to increase their power and they’re using the illusion they have created to get there. We need to demand from them that we’re not buying their snake oil. We need to remind them that they do indeed have the power to effect change and we’re not buying the crap they’re shoveling. You see they are about doing what’s best for the party and not for the country in my opinion.
That’s the point, John! Thank you. They control the purse strings and they could stop Obama running ruff shod with his czars and they could also get his attention on this “kinetic action” in Libya and most importantly, use those purse strings as a way to maneuver Obama and the Democrats on many issues. It should be clear that we can not negotiate with the left any more; but by using or threatening to use the purse strings, the house could actually accomplish a lot.
Great to see you back, John. I hope this is a sign that things in Minot are beginning to return to _ not normal but something resembling normal. You all have been through a long tuff ordeal. It has been impressive to see the American spirit alive and well in Minot, North Dakota.
John Carey has nailed it.
Great post. There’s a video referenced, did I miss it?
Linda
Don’t know what happened. When just reopened the post to edit the video embed was there but when I opened the article from my blog it wasn’t there. It is there now. Thanks for heads-up.
I think you make a great point, Democrats are much better salesmen (I would say snakeoil) than the Republicans are; they know how to push their product, while the Republicans just don’t seem to be able to get their message out there. They will let the Democrats frame the argument and paint the Republicans as the party who will push granny over the cliff and not say anything about it, how can we expect them to sell corporate tax breaks to the American people?
It’s a damn shame, Steve, but it is the sad truth. We all need to support the Tea Parties in remaking the Republican Party.
Wow! I had already scheduled this same video to run later today on my blog. We must be thinking alike.
It is a great vid, isn’t it.