BradPitzl.com

The Brad Pitzl Blog is now live under the domain name of its author. Look for updates in 2013.

The Brad Pitzl Blog Endorses President Obama

In the opinion of the author of this blog Barack Obama deserves another 4 years. When Obama took office the United States was facing the next great depression. It didn't happen. While the economic recovery has been slow, it has been steady. When Obama took office we were entrenched in 2 wars, now 1 is over and we are winding down the other. Osama Bin Laden is dead. That right there may have clinched the endorsement of many people. While many may not like all of the changes included in 'Obamacare', at least he got something done. Also keep in mind that this was all done by someone who had the highest of expectations.

This endorsement is also about the challenger. Mitt Romney is a nice guy. A successful guy. And even would make a good president. He has also changed his stance more than a retired old man changes tv stations trying to find Bonanza. It should scare people that if you look at his record he could run for either party... at the same time. I believe that Romney would be a great asset to any president's cabinet, maybe even Obama's. He does understand business, but the United States of America is not a business it is a country of over 300 million people. As the leader of a country you can not look at people as numbers. I get the sense that Romney doesn't know any better and that is a shame.

In closing it is important to note that I voted for Obama in 2008. Some will say that I'm doubling down instead of admitting that I voted wrong in the last election. That is not the case. In 2008 I did not buy in to the cult of personality, I bought into the promises and ideas that the were achieved in the first paragraph of this piece. 

Back to Ohio

As we hit the final stretch of this election more eyes are on Ohio than on the latest Kardashian publicity stunt. With Mitt Romney gaining momentum nationally he has started to reinvest time and resources into the Buckeye State. Ohio is now known as the "Firewall" for Obama's re-election, and its for a good reason. Unemployment in Ohio is at 7.0% and it's unions have done better then others around the country. I also believe that the people of Ohio trust Obama more than Romney. It's not even a democrat or republican thing, this state seems to pick their favorite out of a hat and stick with them. While this is a good thing for the president, Romney needs to find another path to victory.

Romney needs to listen to Rush Limbaugh for some insight on Ohio. Not the commentary of Limbaugh, but rather the bumper music that starts his show. Each day Limbaugh's show starts off with the bass line from "My City Was Gone" by the Pretenders. While Rush never plays the lyrics, they might ring true for Romney. "I went back to Ohio, but my pretty countryside, had been paved down the middle, by a government that had no pride." I will let you interpret the lyrics and apply them to this race (note that the song was written by a liberal).

If I have not spelled this out clear enough, Romney needs to shift all of his resources to another state and leave Ohio. By taking Paul Ryan it should have been expected that he could deliver his state. Wisconsin should be the ground zero state for the GOP. This is where the problem is. Ryan does not look like he can deliver his home state. That can change but it will take money, shaking hands and a little luck. So, while while everyone, including myself, will be watching the polls in Ohio. Wisconsin deserves a little more attention from the GOP and the poll watchers. 

Biden Bites Back

Just when the right though they were going to run away with the election vice president Joe Biden rallies the base. The post are split on who actually won the debate, but the democrats got plenty of red meat. I'm not sure there is any other politician in America at this time that could get a way with the laughing, the smiling and the overall candid actions of the vice president. The phrase "Joe being Joe" played out for most of the debate. There is something to be said about giving your party what they want. President Obama needs to incorporate this into the town hall debate this coming week.

For the Romney-Ryan camp things are still not that bad. The boost that they got in the polls have leveled out, but they are still in striking distance. Romney will need to overcome his perceived lack of empathy for the voters in this weeks debate. he really needs to avoid any gaffes. A George H.W. Bush checkout moment will surely tank his chances. No matter what happens in these debates I think it will be close on election day. the swing after the last debate shows that there are still some independents stuck on the fence. It will be interesting to see if the candidates go after independents more than there base. 

Romney Has a Pulse

Just when his supporters were ready to use a defibrillator on him, Mitt Romney rose to the occasion like Frankenstein on a stormy night. Romney has always looked presidential, but with president Obama's lack of interest he was able to communicate his message in a presidential way. Those on the left will argue the facts, but the simple truth with these debates is that you want to win the image war as much as the substance war. The American people want to see a candidate that wants the job and is enthused. I believe that Obama still has the edge in the next debate. The town hall format is better suited for Obama than Romney. Despite the polls tightening the American people still like the president more than the challenger..

The real question is what will Romney do with the new energy that his campaign has? I can tell that the media loves that this is a horse race now, so how does Romney harness that and seize victory? One way that he could do this is to pick out the biggest message he is winning on and turn the campaign to a referendum on one issue. Up until last Friday this would have been jobs, but with 7.8 I think that is off the table. The one that they seem to have embraced is lack of leadership. Now this could work, but Romney needs to make a better case that he would be more qualified leader. Also, when running against an incumbent president it is very hard to do since the other guys already has the job. 

So what is the one issue that Romney could use to win? Well, in general terms he could win talking about the economy (excluding jobs). This is something that he did in the debates, but some of his points tip toed the line of pissing of the right. The best course would be to still bring up the fact that he has ran businesses. He will need to do it in a George W. Bush compassionate way though. He does not want to come off as a boss, but rather a co-worker; someone who works just as hard as you and is in it with you. This may be a hard task, but this is what he is known for and is best at. We will see what the next week holds.

Mitt Romney's Bankruptcy (A Political Fable)

Now that president Obama has clearly painted Mitt Romney as out of touch with ordinary Americans something dramatic needs to be done to change the course of events in this race. Something that will show the American people that Mitt is one of them. Most are calling for a game changer or a knockout blow in the debates. I have another idea. This will most likely not happen and I do not wish this upon anyone. But for the sake of satire I will give it a go. Mitt Romney needs to lose it all. The houses, the investments... everything.

Mitt Romney Claims Bankruptcy

Oct. 3 2012 - In a shocking development just hours before the first presidential debate, former governor Mitt Romney has filed paperwork to claim chapter 7 bankruptcy. Despite the recent release of his 2011 taxes showing an income for $14 million Romney has seemed to have lost it all. While meeting the press earlier today Romney explained the situation in detail. "I bet on America, I put my hard earned money in the hands of good hard working people. The products just didn't pan out. We have been under constant pressure due to regulations that the Obama administration has imposed on us."  When asked how this will affect the presidential race Romney stayed positive. "At the beginning of this campaign I was fighting for the American people. Now I am truly fighting for my family and to get a job." When asked about the possibility that he does not win in November he was once again strong. "I'll be fine, I'm not too old to go back to work. Ann and I have raised our children and provided for them, so whatever happens at this point is God's will."


I will let the readers decide if this improbably event would change the race's outcome. I would also like to point out the fact that president Obama seems to have some financial stability as well. It has been reported that he has a net worth of around $12 million. That number is quite lower than reports of Romney's wealth, but is still a hell of a lot more money than the average American has.

Should Romney Switch Parties?

There's a dirty little secret that most democratic loyalists don't want you to know. If Mitt Romney was a democrat, even with his current views, they would support him. See Romney has all of the makings of a great politician, he looks the part, knows the script and is clean and articulate. The fact that he has changed his mind on issues more than a teenage girl would not bother a democrat voter as much as it does the finicky GOP base. The democratic party has long held the advantage of creating an illusion around their candidates. They could do wonders with Romney. They have also been better narrators, with the exception of Ronald Reagan, who by golly was a democrat at one time.

At this point I may be making it seem like political parties are filled with actors playing interchangeable roles. Well, this is true to a certain extent. Both sides of the isle have elected officials on their side that they know are like this. As long as these politicians back policies that you agree with why say anything right? Would you rather have some one in your party be in lock step with party policy or would you like them to all be mavericks? Question answered.

As for Romney, his political obituary has not been written yet (fully at least). He may even end up staging a comeback in the debates if he can get Obama into a gotcha moment on jobs and the economy. But rest assured Mitt, either way, at the end of this election you will have a home. While it may not be with the democratic party (right away), I'm sure you will find something to do.

Will Romney Even Keep This Election Close?

Going in to the GOP convention it seemed that Mitt Romney had finally gathered some momentum and would catch up to the president in the polls. Well, after lack of substance and a Democratic Party convention, Romney is worse off than he was in August. With the amount of money that he raised over the summer there is no real excuse for this. Even while the unemployment rate is over 8 percent, Obama is basically tied in polls about who would do a better job with the economy. Romney could just be a very flawed candidate that we will look back on and see the reasons why he lost (Bob Dole). He could also be a candidate that would have won if he did a few things right (Al Gore).

 I spent some time this week and watched the ad's that his campaign has ran in North Carolina, Virginia and Ohio. The same thing stuck out in each of them. Lack of substance. If you take a look at the Obama campaign ad's there are numbers and facts in them. Meanwhile, the Romney campaign seems to be copying John Kerry and are trying to make Obama look like the Dr. Evil. This whole election has been a shift from what the political landscape has been for the last decade. It looks like the democrats learned their lesson from 2004. They learned the classic rule of defining your opponent before they define you. Mitt Romney is not going to be able to define Obama using stale talking points from 2008. He will need to produce numbers and facts while presenting his vision for the country. The Romney campaign says they believe in America, well Mitt, show us how and why you believe in America. 

A Tale Of Two Conventions

Now that both party conventions are in the history books we can compare and contrast their effectiveness. The GOP had the tough task of going first, but did a very good job of introducing Ann Romney and Paul Ryan. The off the cuff routine by Clint Eastwood was the most bizarre moment in convention history. To the medias credit, they did not dwell on the chair routine as much as I expected. I think everyone is in agreement that an 82 year old Clint Eastwood should get a pass. What was more troubling was the fact that the GOP would allow this to happen. As for as Mitt Romney's performance, I would have to give him an A. He is not known for giving good speeches or showing passion, he did a little of both on that Thursday night.

On to the DNC. This convention was the direct opposite of the republicans. It seemed that they took a page out of Karl Rove's playbook and doubled down on their base. From the amount of talk about abortion and womens rights you would have thought that this was the 1972 convention. After taking a look back at this approach I think it was the right thing to do for the party. They are obviously having trouble firing up the base and getting the same enthusiasm as they did in 2008. There also needed to be more than another President Obama speech. They remedied this by having the first lady and President Clinton deliver magnificent speeches. While we already knew their stories, they kind of reintroduced themselves. Bill Clinton gave a very straight forward speech. It was almost like he was sitting with you in your living room having a chat. President Obama lived up to the expectations once again. While it was not as grand as his election night speech in 2008, he made a great case for reelection.    

The Truth About Mitt Romney's Birth Certificate

Mitt Romney just gave the democrats a perfect angle to spin the whole birther debate. It's simple, demand Romney's birth certificate. You might ask what that will prove? We all know that he was born in the U.S. since his father was a famous business man and politician. But this also leads us to the one line on the certificate that could cause the most controversy. How many Americans had a father like George W. Romney listed on their birth certificate? He was a man of great means and high profile.The democrats could make the case that Barack Obama was born to more normal circumstances, thus pounding home the us versus them mentality. Or as the GOP calls it, class warfare. Would this work for the democrats? Well, with unemployment high and the margin between poor and rich widening I would say it would work better than saying your opponent was born in Kenya.

The Clean And Articulate Paul Ryan

Just for fun I thought it would be interesting to write a piece describing Paul Ryan as if I was Joe Biden describing candidate Barack Obama in 2008. I'm not sure what the outcome of this exercise will be or if there will even be one. The obvious elephant in the room in comparing the two is race, but if you throw that out I think this could still be interesting. By now most republicans are probably offended by the notion that Ryan could be compared to Obama. So be it, this republican version of Joe Biden is not out to make friends.

"Mr. Biden, what do you think about candidate Ryan?" Anonymous reporter asks.

"Well, I tell ya. This guy is the first, you know, clean and articulate guy they've produced out of Wisconsin." Biden responds.

"What do you mean by that?"

"You know, its the farm land up there. Good God fearing people, but bless their hearts when it comes to policy."

Without the injection of race was the above scenario as offensive? I would say no. The quote in 2008 did do something though. It brought an underlying issue about the campaign to light. For all we know this could have been staged. Would you take a guy as your V.P. if he said anything close to this? Wait, it has been done. Reagan took Bush after the "voodoo economics" quote. Does getting the elephant out of the room clear uncomfortable sentiment in voters? I think it does.

Now that I have established a direction in this piece, lets put it to practice. The elephants in the room for Mitt Romney are his wealth, tax returns and Bain Capital. When those on the right tried to play Biden they were thoroughly hushed. Newt Gingrich was basically called a traitor. Some agreed though, saying that it was a part of the vetting process. I agree as well, but the way this should have been approached should have been different. It should be handled in the tabloid gotcha moment way. Sorry, but that is the only way to get people's attention these days.

So to put a little spin on what Joe Biden did in 2008 I will present something the Romney campaign could do now. The biggest issue the Romney campaign should be worried about is the label of being rich and out of touch. The democrats are doing a great job on this one. To approach this issue I would go to the old "didn't know the mic was on" routine. One Paul Ryan could be visiting with a small business owner when he gets the question.

"I don't trust Mitt Romney because he is rich." Joe the business owner says.

"Ya know what Joe, I thought the same thing too. I mean who makes 20 million a year off of investments." Ryan shockingly responds.

"What?"

"That's what I thought before I got to know the real Mitt Romney." Ryan follows up.

This exchange would be played on every news/entertainment program for the rest of the campaign cycle. It would also get the point across to voters on the fence. The message would be that the GOP understands your concerns and that's why we have good old Paul Ryan there to make sure Romney doesn't get out of line. While a political campaign would never admit to doing something like this, it happens. It's part of the game. This is also how elections are won.

Some R & R For The Republicans

This time around there was not a "game changer" pick or a maverick. What you got was a young conservative who seems to be clean an articulate. While I do not believe this choice changes things in Ohio or Florida, it should solidify the GOP's position in the House and help them make a run at the Senate. For the first time in recent history the president ticket will have a private citizen on the top and a congressman in the VP position. This will force Romney to accept positions and legislation that Paul Ryan has proposed. For the future of the party this is a good thing. It will be interesting to see how it affects the presidential election. With labor day coming up it will be the last break before the final stretch of the campaign, and over the next two and a half months things will intensify time ten. That being said, with the selection of Ryan conservatives can rest easy and relax their ticket is now balanced.

Where's the Veep?

OK Mitt, you've had enough time to decide on your running mate. We both know that if you wait until the week before the convention it's going to be anti-climactic and whomever you pick will let down your base. How about for histories sake you just come out and make the announcement tomorrow? Or the day after. No fan fare, no staged event where the families are waving to a massive crowd. How about just announcing who will be your partner and just getting down to business? Better yet, why not announce your choice at a small business that has been affected by Obama's time in office or one that will benefit from your plan once you get their. Talk about a stark contrast that you can draw with the president. A small town event like this would make history; or at least make you go down in history based on the reaction you get. The presidency is about taking chances and so far the Romney campaign has been to shy. With the VP choice being the next major headline grabber that Romney can control he needs to get it right. Easier said than done one might say. Well, with records amounts of cash coming in and a riled up base, Romney should be excepted to hit a home run.

Not a gold medal moment for Mitt Romney

The Romney campaign should have had a better game plan for dealing with the British press. While the game plan should have been to smile and shake hands, devolved into a failed attempt to pump up his own Olympic record. His stance of not politically attacking the president while on foreign soil is a smart one and has helped him save face, but having the foreign press on your back will not help you beat a sitting president. Part of the job of a presidential candidate is to act presidential. In this case Romney has failed. I am also not sure he can fully talk about his role in the 2002 Winter Olympics now. Instead he will now have to deflect any talk of the Olympics because it will bring follow up questions about his statement. This is the type of mistake that a political newcomer makes and not a veteran like Romney. So much for using the Olympics to his advantage. Romney will be lucky to get a participation ribbon in November if he keeps this up.

What does Obama do after the Bain attacks?

Well, round one has been won by the president. The Bain attacks have been effective and have unnerved Mitt Romney.While Bain will be a part of his stump speech for the rest of the summer, Obama needs a second act. The narrative that they are trying to build is that Romney is rich, out of touch and he will outsource jobs. This caricature makes Romney look like a mixture of the Ebenezer Scrooge and Mr. Burns from The Simpsons. While painting this type of picture will get attention and rally your base, it still doesn't offer a plan for America. The old one-two punch I would suggest would be a plan to bring jobs back to America by offering major tax breaks. Maybe they can work in the theme like "From India to Indiana"? A two prong attack like this would have Romney reeling. It will be interesting to see what Romney does to counter these attacks since he has done little so far. No Mitt, you can't just call the president Un-American or say he will raise taxes. You need to find a little more substance and create your own picture of the president. I think a Jimmy Carter analogy might work some or you might want to go shining city upon a hill. Either way, Romney needs to do more or this won't be close. No matter how much money he raises.

Where are the fireworks?

At this point in the 2008 election we were already months into 527 ad's and Jeremiah Wright. I'm not saying that negative attacks are good for public discourse, but they do make things interesting. They can also prove that the other side has no facts to use and they only want to muddy the waters. Looking at the polls things appear to be close, so maybe playing it safe is the right thing to do until you need to go negative. Another thing to think about is that fireworks don't always have to be negative. Where's the beef? It's the economy stupid! Catch phrases like that define campaigns and go down in history. This is a message for the PR people in the Romney and Obama camps. Make this election interesting.

Chief Justice Roberts is just getting started

Those who were surprised, pleased or disagreed with Chief Justice Roberts ruling need to realize that he is still at the beginning of his career. In other words, this is not the last time you will be shocked or overjoyed. Taking a look back at his predecessor Chief Justice William Rehnquist you will see how many important decisions can be made over a career. With a career on the bench that spanned from Roe v. Wade to Bush v. Gore, Rehnquist was right in the middle of historic national debates? Does the healthcare ruling set the tone for the Roberts court? Will it be the lone time that he sides with liberal policy? These are all questions that remain to be answered over the next few decades. One thing that seems to be clear at this point is that his motives do not seem to be personal. Which in itself should comfort all Americans, even if you disagree with his ruling.

Rubio is right for Romney

After months of running a very cautious campaign Romney may be on the verge of making a bold decision. If he chooses Marco Rubio as his VP pick it will be a game changing event for this election. Rubio is already a national hero of the Tea Party and holds a national office as a senator. In other words, he is not Sarah Palin. Rubio would also make Florida a toss up state until election day. The democrats are probably coming up with talking points as we speak in anticipation of Rubio being added to the Romney ticket. You will probably even see things pop up during the vetting process to try and derail Rubio too. There are questions that remain though. Will Rubio accept a VP invite? Will Romney actually pull the trigger on this one? There is still time for Romney to pick a boring VP that he can overshadow, but if you wants to win this election he may have to share the stage.

Romney's Pre-existing Condition

Mitt Romney has once again given the democrats a line of attack. According to a New York Times/CBS poll 85 percent of Americans support the part of Obamacare that guarantee's health coverage for those with pre-existing conditions. To make things worse for Romney, the law that he is attacking is similar to the one he signed into law as governor of Massachusetts. Romney should spend most of his time hammering home his message on jobs and the economy. He's right, there is a jobs problem in the country and the economy is recovering at a slow rate. But will taking away health coverage from people help that problem? How productive is someone who can get medicine for their high blood pressure? How much work can you get done if you can't get insulin for your diabetes? With the number one concern being the economy, why would Romney even talk about anything else? Taking a look back at his political career you will see this same pattern. It's a pre-existing condition that he has never been treated for. Kind of ironic.

Beginning of the Romney Comeback?

It's June, there was a bad jobs report and the polls are starting to swing to the right. Is this the beginning of a Mitt Romney comeback or are recent events going to just make things interesting? Romney has rode the wrapping up of the primaries to a bit of a boost in the polls. It also has helped him that the economy seems to be stuck in a slow growth mode. Those two things would seem to help him, but there are 4 more jobs reports before the election and slow growth is growth. 8 percent seems to be the mental barrier here. If Obama can get the unemployment rate to around 7.7 percent I think it will be tougher for Romney to attack on jobs. Without jobs what else could Romney use to win? Change. Maybe this time around the country is ready for change again. To use that theme Romney needs to come up with an inspirational message though. I'm not saying he can't evangelize his all American story and captivate the country, but my money is on Romney wishing for delayed job growth.

Why negative ad's will never go away

How is it even news that there is a anti-Obama super pac that wants to use Rev. Wright "like McCain should have"? These pac's will go away when there are no more disagreements on policy, no more rich people and when there are no more politics. These types of groups will also keep forming because to a certain extent they work. Everyone knows the commercials; Willie Horton, Swift Vets and my favorite one from 2008 "3 A.M.". These ad's are only as good as the candidate though. They are intended to cast a shadow and muddy the waters. I don't think there is a problem with this group making attack ad's, I think the problem is that everyone already knows about Rev. Wright and they do seem to care. This may be due to the religious aspect of the argument. If Rev. Wright is fair game, what about the things that radical Mormons have said? In closing, "Wright" idea, wrong topic.

Gay marriage and defining a campaign

Are there many people surprised that president Obama's opinion has evolved on the gay marriage issue? Just when recent polls show an almost split nation on the issue, Obama picks his side. The real question is why? He is in good shape for re-election and this issue will surely rally the far right. Obama believes that he will be on the right side of history on this issue. I would have to agree with that. But, the real reason for this move is to define his stance before Mitt Romney does. In each election opponents comes up with terms or labels that end up being used to trounce candidates. This usually happens when a candidate does not clearly state his stance or stays on the fence over an issue. The real surprise here is that this move was done by a democrat. The GOP is usually better at defining campaigns and people. The work they did on Al Gore and John Kerry had liberals even believing the spin. This move by Obama should set off an alarm in the Romney camp. He needs to stand for something fast. My guess is it will be the keystone pipeline or some sort of jobs deal. Who knows, maybe Newt Gingrich will show up at the next Romney rally and endorse Romney's moon colony plan.

The Ground Game

During a recent trip to Denver I was able to observe the Obama street team in action. They were mainly older non-threatening white people, but there were also some young folks of all backgrounds. It was a far cry from the right wing media's portrayal of Obama supporters as radical hippies. Now that you can imagine the people on the streets I can get to why they are important. We are at the beginning of May and Obama's re-election campaign is already on every block of this country. I have checked around a bit and Mitt Romney does not have 1/10th of the street team assembled. How does the GOP expect to win? In this day and age it is straight up incompetence to not have a ground game going by January 1st of the election year. Where are the tea parties? If there was a true conservative movement they would be out in full force and visible. A part of me thinks that the GOP wants to rely on 527 groups again. The thing that they forget is that Bush had a ground game. I want the election to be interesting (just so I can have something to talk about) but if this is how the GOP is going to run this race, it will be an interesting historical landslide.

The last of Newt Gingrich

Newt Gingrich is a perfect example of why politicians should strike while the iron is hot. Back in 1995 when Newt stood face to face with president Bill Clinton he was at the apex of his game. Party enthusiast were begging for him to run the next years election. Looking back, he may have done better that Bob Dole.Why did he pass at that time? We may never know. What is even more puzzling is why he ran this time. The campaign that Gingrich ran for the nomination this year was truly unconventional. When I use the term unconventional it is a nice way of saying that it was a cluster.  Gingrich had no problems with the debates or giving speeches. I will give him credit for being a master politician, but presidential politics requires a bit more than having a good stump speech or one liners. Newt will go down in history as the architect of the Contract with America that helped sweep in a new area of conservatism. That by itself is a greater achievement than most politicians even dream of. Newt knows this, and that is why he may be kicking himself for not running in 1996. This may also be the reason why he has refused to get out of the last campaign of his life.

General thoughts on the general election

So the match up is set and the bumper stickers, signs and balloons are being made. Right now it is hard to decipher what topic will be the one hot topic to rule the summer. Both sides are trying to make their claim concerning the economy. To this point I believe that issue will be a wash; with both sides not making the best case. The fact of the matter is that we were faced with going into a great depression and we did not. While the recovery has been slow, the only food lines that there have been are at the local Golden Corral. The hot topic for a minute was the 'War on Women'. This still might be a good attacking point for the GOP, but there needs to be policies behind the attack. Defeating a sitting president is historically difficult. Most of the candidates who won were able to draw a contrast with their opponents. To this point Romney has not drawn a sharp contrast and it seems he might make a mad dash to the middle. I'm not going to rush to a judgement on how entertaining this election will be, it's a long time till election day. But for the medias sake, I'm sure glad Joe Biden is still on the president's ticket.

Why Rick Should Stay In The Race

Lets face it, to this point the GOP primary has been about as exciting as a Friday evening playing Scrabble in the Romney house hold. Despite his low delegate count Rick Santorum has touched the base of the party. Even though he lacked funds and name recognition he was able to be a force. In my opinion it would harm the party to force him out at any point.

What are the advantages of Santorum staying in the race? First of all it will keep the primary season alive and spare us from the general election campaigns from starting. Also, with Santorum still in the race it will keep more people engaged in the political process. In 2008 the Obama vs. Hillary show captivated the nation and gave the democrats the edge. While the GOP has failed to produce a show of that magnitude, they need to capitalize on any opportunity they can. The best way would be to have a show down at the convention. Yes, a brokered convention.

What are the disadvantages of Santorum staying in the race? It is a valid concern that the more Romney is exposed to attacks the weaker he may be against Obama. The reason that the concern is valid is that Romney has done such a bad job of defining himself and deflecting criticism. Did George W. Bush  did not have this problem. Bill Clinton was even able to define himself despite horrible personal issues.

To break things down, I think Romney should spend more time on defining his campaign than urging Santorum to get out through segregates. The race against Obama is going to be ten times tougher than the primary. If Romney is not able to get rid of Santorum by being more appealing at the primary polls and with the conservative base, he might was well get out himself.

Win, Lose or Draw

Win, lose or draw, there is one thing that is clear in the Obamacare debate. The Republican party will see the backlash. If the law is ruled un-constitutional it will inject  new life into a sleepy liberal base. Thus bringing out more Obama voters in November. Also, (right or wrong) I’m not sure that there has been a time in history where a party wins after taking something away from 30 million people. On the other side, if Obamacare is ruled constitutional it will reinforce what the president has said all along. At that point Romney might was well flip flop and take credit for inspiring the legislation in the first place.

If you can take a step back from the debate there is a bigger picture. By overruling the congress and the signature of the president the supreme court will have more power than two branches of power. I’m not comfortable with that, and I’m not sure that the founding fathers would be either. Sure, if you agree with the ruling it is fine, but when your party is out of the court or the other branches of the government you may change your mind. The right always campaigns against activist judges who side with liberal laws. With the current make up of the supreme court it’s hard to argue that they could not be label activists as well. I think the thing that we all may learn in the end is that we are all activists for the causes that we believe in, no matter what job we hold.