Well, I do. And now I think I may know why. From Economic Policy Journal (h/t Michelle Malkin / geoffB):
As the price of gasoline soars, top Mitt Romney adviser, Harvard economist Greg Mankiw sticks to his guns and calls for a hike in gasoline taxes. In a recent blog post, Mankiw points to a WaPo column which states:
N. Gregory Mankiw, former top economic adviser to President George W. Bush and current adviser to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney, also backs a stiff gas tax increase... In a New York Times column this year, Mr. Mankiw offered a tax overhaul that might include a gas tax “exceeding” $2 per gallon.
A significant portion of such a tax ultimately may land on oil producers, which means it cuts back on supply and exploration and, in a feedback loop, smacks the consumer right in the wallet.
For those keeping score, here’s where Mitt Romney and Barack Obama differ:
1. Mitt Romney’s held a private sector job in business.
2. Mitt Romney is a Mormon
3. Mitt Romney is very very White, while Obama is only half White.
4. Mitt Romney can dribble with his left
— And here’s where they are similar:
1. Mitt Romney pushed an individual mandate
2. Mitt Romney supported TARP
3. Mitt Romney supported a government stimulus plan
4. Mitt Romney doesn’t think Barack Obama is a truly bad dude
5. Mitt Romney doesn’t think a religious exemption for providing contraception is as important as a woman’s “right” to have her birth control covered by any insurance provider
6. Mitt Romney believes in federal minimum wage laws tied to the rate of inflation
7. Mitt Romney is sympathetic to the complaints of the OWS crowd
8. Mitt Romney believes businesses exist to create jobs
9. Mitt Romney believes government needs to do something to prevent climate change and CO2 (that is, human exhalation) pollution
10. Mitt Romney considered Ted Kennedy a friend and collaborator
11. Mitt Romney expressly distanced himself from Ronald Reagan and conservative policy
12. Mitt Romney has used his mouthpieces to attack Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, Rick Perry, Herman Cain, and Michele Bachmann
13. Mitt Romney wants to concentrate on helping the “middle class” — having accepted the class demarcation system favored by class warfare advocates from Marx to Obama
14. Mitt Romney isn’t going to worry about trying to please conservatives
15. Mitt Romney believes Social Security is a fine system, not a decades-long Ponzi scheme; Mitt Romney wonders why certain conservatives want to throw Grandma off a cliff
16. Mitt Romney believes it appropriate to milk the federal government — and the taxpayer — of every last penny in order to fund a pet project. Though Mitt Romney will deny he feels that way when he’s busy criticizing others for taking earmarks
17. Mitt Romney wants conservatives to compromise with Democrats
18. Mitt Romney has been campaigning for President for the last 5 years
But hey: he’s better than the alternative, right? Now stop being such purists and jump on board. He’s inevitable. And more, he’s electable. Mostly, it seems, because Obama got elected — and if Obama can get elected holding all these same positions, why the hell can’t Mitt Romney and the Republicans convince the American people that it’s time the GOP had its turn again at the wheel / trough?
Don’t worry about that $2 gas tax. See, the price of gas is not factored into the inflation index anymore, so, there will be no impact to the economy.
It will also probably require another hike in minimum wage, ‘cuz though there won’t be any inflation, stuff will cost more, and the current rates won’t be near enough to support a family of four.
So, in conclusion, a painless little bump in taxes, offset by a wage hike. Win, win!
Gee Mitt, and you wondered why Sarah Palin questioned your conservative bona fides.
Heh, fracking causes earthquakes, says the voice on the radio. Stupid environmentalists. The Constitution of the United States causes earthquakes.
I would not be surprised if the Constitution causes hurricanes and tornadoes as well.
Stupid Constitution.
19. Mitt Romney would rather shake the hand of a tea-bagger than a TEA Party activist.
20. Mitt/Willard, Barack/Barry.
Where did the idea come from, by the way? Straight from the hypothesized association of geothermal energy production drillings with earthquakes here and there (causing a cessation of the drillings for study!), dollars to doughnuts. Energy! You can’t have it.
He’s everything you mouth-breathing, knuckle dragging, cousin-humping teatards are looking for. He’s a WHITE Barak Obama, without the harridan wife, collectivist, anti-american social circle, or “exotic” life story.
Why won’t you ragamuffins submit already?
Are we sure about this? You may be overstating the differences.
…”smacks the consumer right in the wallet. ”
As my wallet is usually in close proximity to my ass, and I’m sadly used to my government smacking me in said ass (though I’m dutifully hateful of those who currently govern…you know…when I’m not busy trying to earn a freaking living)… I’m guessing this will be another one of those “slow cooked frog in a skillet” type’a deals.
First it was a government funded, bond holder/ tax-payer robbing, self immolating, murder mobile. Then all the kids college funds went to a top Obama donor who I doubt even knew what a goddamn solar panel was 12 months ago.
And don’t forget the war on coal.
Now algae and $5 dollar a gallon gas.
And we’ve got…Romney.
Fuck me.
I’m going out to buy more ammo for the bunker.
I should have bought stock in a company that makes locking gas caps and anti-siphoning equipment.
“I should have bought stock in a company that makes locking gas caps and anti-siphoning equipment.”
It’s sad…but I’d have to go long in that company too.
And to think… “The Road Warrior” came out all the way back in 1981.
Wish I was better with a crossbow.
…and had a set of shoulder pads.
Something else Obama and Romney have in common? They’re both vehicles, empty vessels for others to fill and ride into office in furtherance of ends of their own.
Romney’s just not witting about it.
Mitt Romney believes it appropriate to milk the federal government — and the taxpayer — of every last penny in order to fund a pet project.
Forget the Olympics… Never forget that this also applies to how he funded Romneycare in Massachusetts without breaking his budget the year he enshrined socialized medicine… He had to get federal money to make it pay for itself, in theory. As we have seen, it’s becoming more expensive than anyone predicted. Mittsy loves his socialized medicine so much, you can see a copy of the Romneycare bill in Mittens’s official portrait paintin:
http://politi.co/r1pv29
BTW that portrait has all the style and emotional frisson of a tapioca soup. Zoom into what the artist did to his wife. Someone needs to take his brushes away.
http://images.politico.com/global//blogs/111010_romneyportrait.jpg
George, you sure that Romney portrait isn’t a paint by numbers kit of some sort?
Yes, he’s better than the alternative, when the alternative is a race baiting lying two faced Marxist from Chicago and his dour wife who wasn’t proud of America for 50 odd years. How about this question when making a comparison – would Mitt block the construction of the Keystone Pipeline? Would Mitt permit more drilling or more usage of existing oil leases? If the answer to those questions is both “yes,”, which it is, then Mitt is better than Obama. You don’t like Romney- fine. I’m not a fan either- his prior stances on cap and trade piss me off since “environmental issues” piss me off. But its intellectual dishonesty to claim there is no difference between Obama and Romney.
Yes. My post was intellectually dishonest. Not, you know, pointed.
Just keep lowering your standards. The more you do, the more you’ll find that those are the standard the GOP establishment will then aim for, except maybe just a little tiny bit lower next time.
Because I am fond of inflicting misery upon myself, I made the mistake of listening to noted Romney man Duane Patterson, producer to Hugh Hewitt, president of the Mitt Romney Fan Club, talk to Ed Morrissey today about this primary race. The flurry of rationalizations and dismissals toward people not as romantically smitten with Mittens as they are, is astonishing.
One argument offered: If you want Romney to be conservative, all you unserious conservatives have to support him. Unasked and unanswered question: what if Romney starts “growing in office” and turning into Nixon? They trotted out a dubious aphorism quoted by William Shirer. “If you want a seat at the banquet, you have to help set the table.” If you want Romney to stay bought, support him and what he does. Hmm. Couldn’t we argue that the only way to get Obama to start developing conservative policies is to support him? We all know he rewards his supporters.
Should we support his belief in a federal minimum wage indexed to inflation? His belief that the individual mandate is just fine if your state’s capitol shoves it down your throat instead of DC? Should we shut up when he pays lip service to global warming hysterics? When his economic adviser Mankiw pushes for a stiff gasoline tax?
Another laughable argument forwarded by Patterson: Don’t worry if Romney goes centrist; it won’t be his fault because he can’t control Congress. Huh? What? Patterson then avers that Bush’s decidedly unconservative big spending was actually the fault of the GOP in Congress. That is a noxious half-truth. Bush himself bragged about his increased spending with every bill he signed. He was not dragged kicking and screaming to the deficit spending trough.
We’ll vote for this mook to get rid of Obama, don’t worry about that. But don’t pretend this guy is going to be any more conservative in office than Bush was.
http://electad.com/videos/rick-santorum-abruptly-ends-campaign-event-to-help-person-march-9-2012/
I don’t think so.
My best guess is that we’ll be rid of Obama himself, but not his legacy.
Thanks, pragmatic, conciliatory Republicans!
Or we could support a conservative and not have Romney.
No need to complicate matters.
You know, I don’t mind so much that an honest politician is one who stays bought. What bugs me is they’re all out of my price range anyway.
“Mitt is better than Obama”
Belly laughs.
Always good for the soul.
Thanks a’bunch.
se·vere
? ?[suh-veer] Show IPA
adjective, -ver·er, -ver·est.
1.
harsh; unnecessarily extreme: severe criticism; severe laws.
2.
serious or stern in manner or appearance: a severe face.
3.
grave; critical: a severe illness.
4.
rigidly restrained in style, taste, manner, etc.; simple, plain, or austere.
5.
causing discomfort or distress by extreme character or conditions, as weather, cold, or heat; unpleasantly violent, as rain or wind, or a blow or shock.
strict
? ?[strikt] Show IPA
adjective, -er, -est.
1.
characterized by or acting in close conformity to requirements or principles: a strict observance of rituals.
2.
stringent or exacting in or in enforcing rules, requirements, obligations, etc.: strict laws; a strict judge.
3.
closely or rigorously enforced or maintained: strict silence.
4.
exact or precise: a strict statement of facts.
5.
extremely defined or conservative; narrowly or carefully limited: a strict construction of the constitution
I think Mitt was right – he’s a severe conservative.
Whenever I read crap like “oh, we need to raise the tax on gasoline in order to cut down the amount we use”, I always want to ask “So, why raise a tax on it? Just set the lowest price the gas company can charge at the pump to whatever you want it to be. More profits for them, more profits for the stockholders and anyone can own some of their stock.”
But I guess there’s no chance of graft that way.
Funny thing, I live about 15 miles from where these earthquakes are occurring. Haven’t felt one. I’m usually pretty good at detecting quakes, I grew up around a mile from the San Andreas fault.
This is more about creating new regulations I think. Sad part of it is this area needs the jobs.
The fracking jobs, we assume, not the regulation creating jobs.