Notes From Here and There, 1/25/08

President Bush and Congressional Democrats were able to agree on a compromise economic stimulus package on Thursday which would provide between $300 and $600 in tax rebates per individual.

Mr. Bush had originally called for an $800 rebate to each individual taxpayer, with couples qualifying for a full $1600.

But in order to get a package approved, Democrats had to sign off on it, which means of course that the amount of the rebates will be significantly lower, thus proving that Republicans want Americans to have more of their own money back, while Democrats wish to keep it and would prefer, truth be told, to give NONE of it back.


With polls showing Mitt Romney pulling ahead of John McCain in Florida, the GOP candidates met for a debate in Boca Raton, Florida Thursday evening prior to the state's primary next Tuesday. Romney has gotten a boost of late from his emphasis on economic issues.

And, since Florida is a winner-take-all primary for the GOP, Romney could well walk away with 57 more delegates in one day.

The best line from the debate, however, came from Ron Paul. When asked if the government has a role in stimulating the economy, here was Dr. Paul's answer: 'The government does have a responsibility, but it's supposed to lower taxes, get rid of regulations and devise a monetary policy that makes some sense.'

We agree.


Democratic Presidential hopeful Dennis Kucinich has withdrawn from the race without endorsing one of his Democratic colleagues. The candidate, who claims he saw a UFO, was heard mumbling to a reporter off-stage after he withdrew from the race that he had to meet up with some aliens.

Assuming that Kucinich meant illegal immigrants, the reporter followed the candidate only to witness him talking to himself as if he were speaking to persons who were not there.

Suddenly, the candidate disappeared into thin air after a strange looking spacecraft had been spotted, which then also quickly disappeared.

There has been broad speculation that Kucinich made a deal with outer space creatures who stated that if Kucinich would but withdraw from the race, they would take him on a 145-light-year tour of the entire universe.

Somebody up there likes us....

(OK, the part about the space creatures is written tongue-in-cheek, but Kucinich actually did withdraw from the race Thursday, and he actually did state he saw a UFO).

RICHARDSON OUT; ROMNEY PULLS ADS

Big news is coming out of the world of politics today as one of the Democratic candidates has withdrawn from the race and a Republican has pulled his ads in two key states.

The Associated Press is reporting that Democratic Presidential hopeful Bill Richardson is pulling out of the race for his Party's Presidential nomination.

Richardson has struggled to reach double-digit support in the polls, and his showing in the primaries and caucuses so far has been dismal.

We feel that Richardson is making the right decision. We have not attempted to hide our dislike for Richardson, who, with the exception of his views on gun rights, is a big government Socialist like Hillary and Obama.

The other big news comes out of South Carolina as the Mitt Romney campaign announced that it is pulling its ads immediately from both South Carolina and Florida. The significance of this news cannot be over-emphasized.

Romney has managed only one win and two second-place finishes so far. Increasingly it appears that he will not do well in South Carolina, where John McCain, Mike Huckabee, and Fred Thompson are expected to duke it out for the top spots in the primary vote.

In Florida Romney faces a rather large Giuliani voter-base. Mike Huckabee is also expected to do well in the Florida primary.

Thus, the Romney campaign has decided to focus its efforts on Michigan, where the candidate has a good chance of winning. Romney's father, George Romney, was Governor of Michigan in the 60s. The elder Romney even briefly challenged Richard Nixon for the Republican Presidential nomination in 1968.

It is clear, however, that Romney is facing a major problem beneath the surface and beneath all of the headlines. In spite of the megabucks of his own money Romney has spent, he has very little to show for it so far, and the signs indicate it will only get worse.

Giuliani will do well on Super Tuesday. John McCain will do much better than expected. So will Mike Huckabee. And, depending on what happens in South Carolina, Thompson may become a major player on Super Tuesday as well.

In short, Romney is gradually being overshadowed by other candidates.

The fact that he has pulled his ads out of South Carolina and Florida is a clear indication that he has conceded those states as losses.